The Crucible

            The intention of this essay is to break down the psychology of the characters within the crucible, in relation to Kollberg’s moral precepts. Specifically, we will discuss characters that behave in a strange or confusing manner and will refer to Kollberg’s moral precepts for explanation and understanding. Notably, Kollberg has three concepts and descriptions for what drives certain individuals to behave in odd or weird manner. The three categories are, pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional. These concepts are important factors we must understand in order to have a better explanation for the behaviour, motivations and actions of characters found within The Crucible.

The first moral precept is pre-conventional which means that we behave in ways to avoid punishment and obtain reward. For example, Tituba is a character that portrays pre-conventional tendencies. During the “crying out scene”, after being told by Reverend Parris “I will whip you to your death if you do not confess” (Rev. Parris Act I) She immediately gave a false confession and complied with what the. It is evident that she began behaving in this way to avoid a whipping and death. Abigail Williams is another character who behaves in ways to obtain and avoid punishment. This is observed when we learn that Abigail “be aboard ship” (Rev. Parris Act IV) with Mercy Lewis. This displays Abigail’s strong preconventional mindset which encouraged her juristic decision of fleeing Salem to avoid punishment and ridicule. The final example found within The Crucible would be Mary Warren. Mary Warren clearly illustrated this moral precept several times throughout the play, particularly in relation to Abigail Williams. Mary Warren is found saying to John Proctor “She’ll kill me for sayin’ that” (Mary Warren Act II) when John Proctor asked her to explain how the poppet came to be, in order to set Elizabeth Proctor free from the allegations held against her. It is apparent that Mary Warren is quite fearful of Abigail and will not speak against her as a way to avoid punishment so, it is fair to say Mary Warren expresses preconventional attributes. In essences, The Crucible is able to portray a pre-conventional mindset through numerous characters throughout the play.

            The second Kollberg moral precept is conventional, which means we behave in certain ways in order to gain group acceptance. There are multiple examples found within The Crucible of this moral precept. For instance, Mary Warren displayed this behaviour when asked by Danforth why she lied about seeing the devil when she went to confess with John Proctor. She exclaimed “Everyone cried spirits, spirits” (Mary Warren Act III) this illustrates her want to be accepted by Abigail Williams and that she does not mind lying as long as long as everyone else is doing it as well. In addition, you can also find examples of wanting group acceptance through Betty. During the “crying out” scene after Abigail Williams and the other girls begin accusing other people in the town of witchcraft, Betty awakes from her sleep and begins shouting “I saw George Jacobs with the devil” (Betty Act I). Betty’s response to the behaviour of Abigail and the other girls reflects her need to be accepted, therefore making Betty a conventional individual. The last example of this moral precept is John Proctor. John Proctor shows his fear of being ridiculed and not accepted by members of the court when he hesitates to tell Mr. Hale about speaking privately with Abigail Williams. His wife, Elizabeth Proctor begins to encourage him “Tell him John” (Elizabeth Proctor Act II) noticing he is worried over the suspicion confessing that may draw. As a result of John Proctor’s hesitation, it highlights his desire for group acceptance and fear of being outcasted. In conclusion, The Crucible provides many examples of characters portraying conventional qualities.

            The final Kollberg moral precept is post-conventional. Post-conventional behaviour is when you have your own core values which cannot be influenced by others. People with this trait stand their group despite ridicule and punishment. There are numerous examples of this moral precept illustrated in The Crucible, the first being Giles Corey. Giles Corey was able to display this behaviour during his stoning when asked to give up information regarding Thomas Putnam. He simply replied, “More weight” (Giles Corey Act IV) then passed away. This shows that Giles Corey is willing to die for what he believes in, regardless of what others think. Proving he hold strong post-conventional tendencies. Another character who behaves in certain ways despite what other think or punishment is Elizabeth Proctor. Elizabeth Proctor highlights this behaviour towards the end of the play when Mr. Hale wants her to lie in order to save John Proctors life. She calmly response “He have his goodness now, God forbid I take it from him” (Elizabeth Proctor Act IV), displaying she no longer cares about what Mr. Hale or anyone else thinks. She believes that letting her husband die with his name is the right thing to do and refuses to get in the way of that. The final example found in The Crucible is Mr. Hale. In contrast to his beliefs in the beginning of the play, Mr. Hale realizes what he is a part of is wrong and tries to get Elizabeth Proctor to lie to save her husband’s life. “Plead with him, woman!” (Mr. Hale Act IV) he begs of her, despite knowing what her asks of her could get them both severely punished. Mr. Hale no longer allows Danforth to influence him and will behave this way regardless of what he thinks. Making Mr. Hale a perfect example of a post-conventional person. In closing, The Crucible portrays post-conventional behaviour through multiple characters.

            In conclusion, it is apparent that Kollberg’s moral precepts have been used in a thoughtful manner to thoroughly break down the behaviours, motivations, and actions of characters found within The Crucible. This essay was able to achieve a more in dept understanding of the strange or odd behaviour of these characters and relate them to Kollberg’s moral precepts in an insightful manner. Furthermore, this essay has also displayed reasons for why characters behave the way they do in certain situations. From the examples provided, we are now able to look at the behaviours of these characters in a more thoughtful and clear approach.