To better understand characters in The Crucible and their motivation for their behaviour, one only has to refer to Kollberg’s moral precepts for reference. Kollburg’s moral precepts consist of pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional behaviours and The Crucible contains many excellent characters to exemplify those precepts. These characters can also be in more than one category because many individuals behave in diverse ways, throughout the various stages of their lives. 

There are many characters in The Crucible that illustrate pre-conventional behaviour. Being pre-conventional is when you behave in a way to avoid punishment or obtain a reward. Knowing that, Tituba would be considered a pre-conventional character. She demonstrates this when she confesses to witchcraft when she was wrongfully accused. The reason for Tituba’s confession is because Reverend Parris would “take [her] out and whip [her] to [her] death” if she had not. Therefore, it was in her best interest to confess and save herself. Next, you can see pre-conventional behaviour in Betty. Early in Act 1, Betty pretends to be ill after being caught dancing in the woods. “She caught fright, is all” is what Abigail says when asked about Betty. The reason behind Betty’s behaviour is so she could avoid the inevitable punishment she would receive if she had owned up to what the girls were doing in the woods. The last example of a pre-conventional character would be Abigail Williams. After being confronted about potential witchcraft in the woods, Abigail openly denies all those claims early on. “We danced and that is all” is what she says despite the audience knowing that she drank blood in hopes of murdering Elizabeth Proctor. All these characters behaved in a way to avoid a certain punishment, which in turn makes them perfect characters to demonstrate pre-conventional behaviour within The Crucible. 

Along with pre-conventional, there are many conventional characters in The Crucible as well. These individuals behave in a certain way to achieve group acceptance. A perfect example of a conventional character would be Mary Warren.  Mary Warren often behaved in a way that mimicked the other girls’ behaviour in order to protect herself. However, Mary finally confessed to her behaviour being fraudulent. She stated that “everyone cried, spirits, spirits!” Which was the reason she had also participated in the group’s lies. Another conventional character would be Reverend Parris. He often acted in a certain way to blend in with everyone around him. That is because he did not want extra attention to his actions and decisions, particularly as the minister of Salem. A perfect example of that is when he says, “go directly home and speak nothing of unnatural causes.” He says that because he knows it is a threat to his safety and work if he is in the village’s spotlight for such a serious and dangerous claim. So, if individuals know it was both his daughter and niece who were the cause behind everything, it will be a poor reflection of him and ostracize him from the rest of the village. Lastly, Mercy Lewis is another character who often displays conventional behaviours and actions. Throughout The Crucible Mercy aimlessly follows what Abigail is doing. In the courthouse when Mary Warren confesses to lying, Mercy Lewis follows Abigal’s story and states “Your Honor, I freeze!” when they say that a cold breeze has developed. This shows that Mercy always craved the acceptance she would receive from Abigail and the rest of the girls as well as the protection that came with it. Group acceptance is a key trait of conventional behaviour, which is why Mary, Parris and Mercy are wonderful characters to illustrate that. 

Following conventional, Kollburg’s final moral precept was post-conventional. Being post-conventional is when you behave in a way that represents your internal value system without regard for punishment, reward, or group acceptance. A prime example of a post-conventional character would be John Hale. John Hale is a complex character, and his complexities are apparent within The Crucible. In the start of The Crucible, John Hale is arrogant and conceited. However, as the play progresses John Hale begins to display his true values and opinions regardless of what the village says. “I quit this court” is what Hale says after he realized that the court, he worked for did not align with his moral values as well as went against them. Furthermore, Giles Corey is another excellent example of a post-conventional character. Almost every action taken by Giles Corey in The Crucible was solely based on his own personal beliefs and values which he held remarkably close to him. In fact, Giles Corey even died because he did not care about the punishment of going against his inner values. “He stand mute, and died Christian under the law” was said by Elizabeth Proctor when she was asked what had happened to him. Finally, John Proctor would be the last example of a conventional character in The Crucible. Although John Proctor initially struggled being post-conventional, when it mattered he stood up for himself and what he believed in. When Proctor was intending to falsely confess to witchcraft, he realized the severity of what he was doing and how that was not what he wanted to do. “It is my name!” Proctor says when asked why he would not sign the confession. This is because he knows that what he is confessing to is false and would have an impression on his character that is not true to him. Once you reach a point in life where you act in a way purely based around your morals, values, and opinions without thought of what others will think, or the punishment and reward you can receive from it, you will be considered a post-conventional person.  

In summary, Kollburg’s moral precepts help us understand individuals’ behavioral developments and patterns throughout various phases of their lives. Depending on the behaviour of specific characters they can be categorized as pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional. Therefore, those same precepts also allow us to have a better understanding of many characters in The Crucible.