To fully understand characters within The Crucible and the intrinsic reasoning behind their decisions, one only must refer to Kohlberg’s moral precepts for explanation. This essay will examine several characters, all of whom are driven by values, whether their own or of a larger scale. It will explain their actions and the reasoning behind why they behave the way they do. Specifically, this essay will analyze pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional behaviour to unravel their personalities and understand their decisions.
Within The Crucible, many characters act in a way that is categorized as pre-conventional. These characters are driven by the desire to obtain reward or avoid punishment. The first example of a character who is pre-conventional is Tituba. She is threatened by Reverend Parris and given the ultimatum of being “[whipped] to [her] death” if she does not confess to witchcraft. Tituba proceeds to confess to the crime, despite knowing that she was, in fact, innocent. This indicates that her fear of death was so great that she purposefully lied to avoid being punished. Similarly, Mary Warren acts in such as way as to avoid punishment. This is highlighted when she says, “Abby will kill me for saying that.” Like Tituba, Mary Warren’s fear of being punished was so severe that she intentionally avoided saying anything Abigail would not approve of. To avoid punishment so innately clearly indicates that she is a pre-conventional character. The final example of such a character is Abigail Williams. After stabbing herself with a needle, Abigail claimed it was “[Elizabeth Proctor’s] familiar spirit” that pushed it in. Although her behaviour may be seen as confusing and even concerning, it displays her intense reward drive and how far she is willing to go to achieve it. By framing Elizabeth Proctor as a witch and liquifying her competition, Abigail believes she will gain the reward of John Proctor in the end. Therefore, it is evident that there are many pre-conventional characters within The Crucible.
However, just as there are pre-conventional characters within The Crucible, there are also conventional characters. These people are categorized as those who behave in a certain way to achieve group acceptance. An entire group of characters who display such behaviours are the girls. As Abby begins to repeat everything Mary Warren says, the girls are quick to follow as they cry out “Abby, you mustn’t!” Abigail is an older girl that many of the younger girls admire, so it is expected that they follow her lead to “fit in”. They want to be accepted by Abigail and thus, prove they are conventional characters. Another character who behaves in such a way to achieve group acceptance is Mary Warren. Although she did exhibit pre-conventional behaviour, she eventually decides to join the group as she proclaims to John that she’ll “not hang with [him]”. Mary Warren, having felt the immense pressure applied to her, subconsciously decided to go with the ways of the group as that is where she felt would be best. This desire for group acceptance is what also makes her a conventional character. Lastly, Ezekiel Cheever is another example of a character who displays similar behavior. After arresting Elizabeth Proctor, he states that he “must do as [he’s] told.” Cheever’s desire to be accepted by the court is so great that he’s willing to sacrifice his personal relationships, illustrating a conventional way of thinking. Considering all previous examples, many characters within The Crucible behave in both pre-conventional and conventional manners.
Kohlberg’s final moral precept outlines the term post-conventional that some characters within The Crucible fall under. Post-conventional characters are those that have internalized their own system of values that remains uninfluenced by external sources. A major example of a post-conventional character within The Crucible is Giles Corey. Such behaviour is seen when he is being pressed for information, but instead of relenting and giving up, Giles Corey simply says, “more weight.” As an older individual who can be seen as “odd” or “quirky”, it is understandable that he has had many experiences that have shaped his values, in which he stands firm and unwavering. Another character who has also developed a strong foundation of values is Reverend John Hale. At the face of injustice, Reverend Hale announces that he would “quit this court”. Not wanting to take part in something so heinous that destroyed the lives of many, he steps back from his well-respected position as a member of court. This illustrates that he has internalized a strong sense of justice and is comfortable with going beyond what is socially acceptable if it does not fit his values. Similarly, a final example of someone who fits within this character type is John Proctor. This is shown near the end of the play when he proclaims that “God is dead”. Religion was incredibly important during the period in which The Crucible is set. He cannot accept that, if there were a God, he would allow such horrors to happen, thus his previous proclamation. This clearly illustrates how John Proctor has grown into a post-conventional character, comfortable standing behind his values and unafraid of the opinions of others. Therefore, it is evident that many characters within The Crucible fall under Kohlberg’s moral precept of post-conventional.
Kohlberg’s moral precepts are an excellent way to examine the characters within The Crucible and explain why they act in certain ways. Within his moral precepts, Kohlberg refers to three different character archetypes: the pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional. These are stages that everyone goes through as they grow up, beginning as a pre-conventional child to eventually developing into a conventional person. However, one does not lose the habit of making pre-conventional decisions once they have developed conventionality, instead fluctuating between the two based on circumstance. Post-conventional is special in how very few people reach this stage, and those that do very often develop the ability to be post-conventional well into their adult years. These stages have been clearly outlined previously through the dissection of specific characters, their personalities and the decisions that make them who they are, all with the purpose of further understanding human nature and the illogical situations that may occur.
