To truly understand the characters in “The Crucible”, their behavior and the motivation for it, one only must refer to Kollberg’s moral perceptions for explanation. In this paper, Kollberg’s three moral perceptions will be discussed. The three moral perceptions are pre-conventional, conventional and post-conventional. A detailed discussion of those three perceptions will take place. This discussion will take the form of a detailed definition of each, as well as a discussion of three independent characters that are used as an illustration of each of these categories.   

The pre-conventional level describes making choices based on self-benefit or evasion of consequences. At this characteristically immoral level, people act out of fear or wish, as opposed to having a regard for order within. Abigail Williams shows this when she is warning the other girls by saying, “I will not bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you.” To protect herself, Abigail does step out of line and uses fear in threatening ways. Similarly, Mary Warren plea: “I cannot, I cannot…” Rather than facing her punishment head on, Mary chooses to conform to the system which chains her voice. Even John Proctor admits earlier on that vendettas track the chaos when he states: “Vengeance is walking in Salem” At this point, Proctor sees the way the town is dominated by inward will: the people’s “motives” which serve only personal grudges.  

Numerous characters tend to move toward the Conventional level of moral reasoning where actions are dictated by the established order, reputation, and social norms. John Proctor’s worry over how he will be remembered escalates. He exclaims, “Because it is my name!” A person’s identity is very much bound to their reputation, which Proctor needs to support, and in keeping that name, survive at least socially kills. Elizabeth Proctor embodies the conventional stage when she says, “I cannot judge you John” A disbelief that any human being can deliver judgment is an outlook that shows where the person stands in the realm of norm and convention morally. Judge Danforth, as a symbol of unquestionable control, demands “We burned a hot fire here” The negative outcomes of enforcing rules that I have order is just law which very much serves the purpose of procedure is an exact description of Danforth.  

Finally, a few characters rise to the post-conventional level, where personal conscience and universal ethics surpass both self-interest and societal expectations. At last, some characters reach the post-conventional stage, which is defined by the internalization of principles of personal conscience and universal morality beyond self-centeredness and social compliance. Giles Corey’s powerful last words “More weight” Giles displays moral steadfastness by not acknowledging his self-preservation instincts when he refuses to confess or blame anyone.  This level of morality is clearly proven through the actions of Rebecca Nurse when she modestly mentions “it is not my place to judge others” Rebecca is acting on her moral code as she does not give to social norms and does not judge.  The most notable change throughout the play is surely Reverend Hale’s character.  A steady court supporter, he now proclaims “I come to do the devil’s work.” Gale gives up enforcing the law and pays attention to the ethics justifying the trials, using his conscience for the first time. 

To sum it all up, Kohlberg’s moral theories have enhanced our understanding of the characters in “The Crucible.” The three moral principles; pre-conventional, conventional, and post conventional, were effective in distinguishing the characters in “The Crucible” while unveiling the various traits they showed throughout the play. Classifying all the characters into these three principles helps provide an alternative perspective on how to analyze not only characters but even real people.