The Crucible 

To truly understand characters found in The Crucible and the motivation they have for their behaviours, one only has to look at Kohlberg’s moral precepts for explanation. The examples given below will show you how the characters follow pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional rules for their behaviour. 

There are many pre-conventional characters within The Crucible. Pre-conventional is when you behave in a certain way to avoid punishment and obtain rewards. The first character to show pre-conventionalism is Tituba. When she is asked to confess, Parris threatens to take her out and “whip [her] till [her] death” if she does not obey. There is an obvious punishment in this circumstance. Therefore, Tituba confesses to witchcraft, when she is innocent, to avoid punishment. Another example is Elizabeth Proctor. In her statement, “I think I must,” she is giving herself over to the police to be arrested for a crime she did not commit. She does this to save her husband and family. This is a reward for her because she gets to keep them safe and out of the harm’s way. The last character to base their decisions on reward is Abigail Williams. She explains that Mary Warrens “wings are spreading” when she is aware this is a false statement. When she does this, she gains the reward of the judges thinking that Mary is disrupting the court. This benefits Abby. As you can see from these examples, the listed characters based their decisions on avoiding punishment or profiting from their behaviours. 

Kohlberg’s second moral precept is conventionalism. To be conventional is to behave in a way to fit in to a group or be accepted. The first example of a conventional character is represented by a group, being the girls in the courtroom. Mary Warren expresses “Abby you mustn’t,” which is repeated by the girls and Abby to fool the courtroom into thinking Mary has them under a spell. By following what Abby orders, they fit in amongst the other girls and feel accepted, even though they are lying. The next character is Danforth. He believes “a person is either with the court or he must be counted against it.” When he says this, it is to fit in with the court and to be accepted. It also illustrates how important it is for him to encourage others to be part of the group. The last character to base their decisions on acceptance is John Proctor. All John Proctor has left is his name. When it is threatened to be taken away, he responds, “because it is my name.” This illustrates how he does not want to confess because he still wants to fit in with the rest of the town. In this moment, the right thing to do is coming after being accepted. As you can see, there are many examples of conventional behaviour throughout The Crucible. 

The final moral precept is post-conventional. This is to behave in a way following your own morals and values, ignoring external rewards or opinions. The first example of a post-conventional character is Giles Corey. He reacts by demanding “more weight” instead of giving in to others’ opinions. This statement shows how he refuses to give in to external sources, even while being tortured to say what they want to hear. He continues to follow his own values even to his last breath. Another character is John Proctor. He confesses to lechery, insisting that the court “see [Abby} what she is.” This goes against what everyone thinks and does not offer him a profit. However, he does what he strongly believes to be correct. The final character is Elizabeth Proctor. She is strongly religious, and a good Christian, however, when she expresses, “no, sir,” she lies for the first time to save her husband. This goes against what her religion holds to be dear, to do what she feels is right and just. These examples show some of the post-conventional characters in The Crucible. 

As you can see from the examples given above, if you follow Kohlberg’s moral precepts it is simple to understand the actions taken by those in The Crucible. There are many examples of pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional characters shown throughout the play.