To truly comprehend the events and characters that transpire within “The Crucible”, one must be aware of Kollberg’s moral precepts. Kollberg has three categories of precepts. These precepts are pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional. These precepts are concepts that explain “individuals reasoning for behaving in a certain manner.” This essay will dive into nine separate characters found within the Crucible, explain how they fall under one of the three moral precepts, and define what each of the three moral precepts mean. Separate quotes will be provided for each character as evidence for why they behave the way they do.
There are many examples of pre-conventional characters found within the Crucible. An individual who is pre-conventional acts in a way only to gain a reward or avoid punishment. Incipiently, the first character to demonstrate pre-conventional characteristics within the Crucible is John Proctor. He demonstrates this when he says to Abigail “I’ll cut my hand off before I reach for you again.” He recognises that if he were to have intercourse with Abigail again, there is a chance he could be caught. If caught, he may be prosecuted, as cheating on one’s spouse was considered a serious offence in the town of Salum. His wife would also not be too fond of discovering that her husband was sleeping with another woman, and he’s cognizant of the fact that this may cause her to leave him. John Proctor fears he may face punishment for his actions; therefore, he takes actions to prevent any penance from befalling him. Another character that demonstrates he acts purely out of self-fulfillment is Parris. He demonstrates he acts in a manner to avoid punishment when he says, “If you trafficked with spirits in the forest, I must know it now, for surely my enemies will, and they will ruin me with it.” He wishes to know what transpired in the forest that night, not out of worry for his niece or the people of Salum, but because he knows that if someone were to find out his niece was dancing in the woods, he could lose his position as reverend of Salum. The reverend of a town in this time period was fundamentally the most important person in the town, much like a mayor in modern times. Parris does not wish to lose all his power, therefore he neglects his duty as reverend to inform people of what happened in the woods, instead trying to cover it up to preserve his reputation. The final character to demonstrate pre-conventional characteristics in the crucible is Danforth. He consistently acts in ways to avoid punishment or gain a reward throughout the events of the story, and no better is this showcased than when he says, “No one in this rooms is to speak one word, or raise a gesture aye or nay.” In this scene, Danforth comes to the realisation that none of the accused are actually witches, and that Abigail is a liar. However, if people found out he knew there were no witches; after having been so callous to the people of Salum when he first arrived; he would certainly lose all power he has over Salum. He attempts to maintain power over Salum by not allowing Elizabeth Proctor to know of what transpired in the courtroom before she is brought in. He fears being punished and therefore acts in a way that actively harms those around him.
There are many examples of conventional characters found within the Crucible. Conventional characters behave in a manner to fit into a group and achieve group acceptance. Initially, the first example of a conventional character is Betty. Betty illustrates conventional characteristics when she joins in with accusations during the scene where all the girls begin accusing women in the town of being witches. She jumps in and shouts “I saw Goody Jacobs with the devil” demonstrating her desire to fit in with the group of girls. She fears being punished for her actions the night prior but realises that if she joins in with the rest of the girls, she’ll be apart of a large group and will be able to easily blend in and convince the adults of Salum that she’s not a witch. Furthermore, another character who displays conventional characteristics is Mary Warren. When all the girls in town begin to repeat everything Mary says to make her seem like the witch, she breaks down and cries “I love God; I go your way no more.” She does this as she realises that if she also appears to be a follower of God, like the rest of the Salum girls, the court will cease to believe she is a witch. This proves she is a conventional character as she wishes to blend in with the group of girls. Finally, yet another character who behaves in a conventional manner is Cheever. Cheever is a court official working the Salum witch case, and he truly does not care what the outcome is. He clearly demonstrates this when he tells Giles “You know yourself I must do as I’m told.” Cheever doesn’t care whether the people he is sentencing are witches or not, he just wishes to maintain his spot on the court. This illustrates how he is a conventional character as his desire to preserve his career and lack of empathy for what he does clearly demonstrate a desire to fit in with the group of court officials.
There are many examples of post-conventional characters found in the Crucible. A post-conventional character is someone who acts upon their own will. They are uninfluenced by the group, punishment, or reward, and often act on what they believe to be the correct thing to do. The first post-conventional character to be discussed is Elizabeth Proctor. She demonstrates this quality when she says “He have his goodness now. God forbid I take it from him.” Elizabeth Proctor recognizes that her husband is being taken away for execution but decides to not attempt to convince him to sign his name. She knows all he wants is to know that he is a good man, and he finally has that. She believes that by allowing John to choose to be executed, she is doing the correct thing as it allows him to finally have what he’s desired throughout the whole story. Another character who doesn’t concern themselves with punishments, rewards, or what other think is Giles Corey. When he is being tortured to confess who gave him his information, he simply says “More weight.” Giles knows that if he confesses, the court will be able to take his land and sell it and they would have his informant hung. He requests more weight because he knows that if he dies, his land will go to his children, and they won’t be able to sell it to Putnam. This act shows how Giles doesn’t concern himself with punishment but instead acts in on what he believes to be morally correct. The final example of a post-conventional character is John Hale. When Danforth sentences John Proctor to prison for witchcraft, Hale realises that what he is doing is wrong and “[He] quits this court.” Hale knows that Proctor is an innocent man and disagrees with Danforth for throwing him in prison. This act of quitting the court clearly demonstrates how Hale doesn’t concern himself with group acceptance or what punishments may befall him but instead acts on what he believes to be right.
In essence, “The Crucible” provides an excellent lens to truly delve into Kollberg’s moral precepts. Nine quotes were provided as evidence for why characters behaved the way they did and why they fell under one of Kollberg’s three moral precepts, pre-conventional, conventional, or post-conventional. Each character provided varied in how they fell under each precept, as to provide the best possible definition for each one. The moral precepts were clearly defined, and each character was thoroughly broken down so that one could fully understand their reasoning for doing things and the motivations behind their actions.
