The purpose of this essay is to discuss the play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller. More specifically, the way in which the characters behave. This behavior can best be described by using Kollberg’s moral precepts for further understanding. There are three of these moral precepts, three different perspectives that motivate the characters in the play to behave in certain ways. The three categories are pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional behavior, and all three categories are great factors to be considered when analyzing the characters and the way they act. If we understand the reason behind the action, we will have a better understanding of the characters.
There are characters in the crucible that behave in a way that is best described as pre-conventional. Pre-conventional is when you behave in a certain way to obtain a reward and avoid a punishment. The first example of a pre-conventional character is Abigail Williams. Abby proves herself to be a pre-conventional character when she accuses Elizabth Proctor and claims that it was her “familiar spirit” that attacked her. Abby realizes that is Elizabeth is to be blamed of being a witch then she would no longer be with John Proctor, whom she loves, and with Elizabth out of the picture, Abby would have an opportunity to be with John. The next character to be discussed that behaves in a way to avoid punishment is Tituba. She demonstrates this when she confesses after Parris tells her that he “will take [her] out and whip [her] to [her] death if [she] does not confess”. Tituba confesses to a crime that she did not commit so she does not get beat to death, she decides to save herself instead by doing so. And the final character to be discussed is Rev. Parris. Parris is shown to be a pre-conventional character when he tells Danforth to “postpone [the] hangings for a time”. Because these hangings are alarming the people and they are also not very happy with him, Parris decides to postpone the hangings so that the people are not as upset with him. It is clear from the examples provided that the Crucible has many characters that behave in a certain way to avoid punishment and obtain reward.
There are many characters in the crucible that are conventional. Conventional is when you behave in a certain way to fit into a group. Mary Warren in a conventional character, she shows herself to be conventional when she says that she will “never hurt [Abby] more”. Mary Warren can’t handle the pressure put into her by the girls, so she decides to change sides, that way she could fit in with the rest of the girls. The next character to be discussed that behaves in a way to fit into a group is Betty Parris. This is illustrated when Betty says that she “saw [many people] with the devil”. After watching Tituba confess and Abby confess, she decides to lie and say she saw multiple people with the devil and that she herself was being controlled by the devil, and she did this so she could fit in with Abby’s group. And the last character to be discussed is Hale. He proves to be conventional the moment he says that “the light of God is in [Parris]”. Because Parris is ordained, Hale claims that he can do no wrong. Parris is part of the church group; therefore, Hale says that so he’s not on God’s bad side, but instead he’s accepted by the people from the church. So, you can see from the examples provided, the Crucible has many characters that show a desire to fit in.
There are post-conventional characters found in the crucible. Post conventional characters internalize a sense of right and wrong. They are confident in their values and beliefs regardless of punishment, reward, or group acceptance. The first post-conventional character to discuss is John Hale. Hale demonstrates himself to be a post-conventional character when he says he’ll “quit this court”. Clearly, Hale does not agree with what the court is trying to do with Elizabeth Proctor, and he believes the court is in the wrong, so he stands by that. The next character that is confident in their sense of values and beliefs is Giles Corey. Giles proves himself to be a post-conventional individual when he’s being pressed by Danforth, and he tells him to add “more weight”. Instead of confessing and telling Danforth the name of the guy so could live, Giles decides to not tell him anything and sticks to what he believes regardless of the punishment, which is death. Finally, the last character is John Proctor. John demonstrates to be post-conventional, and this is shown when he says that “God has seen [his] name on [the confession], it is enough”. John refuses to confess and give Danforth the confession with his name on it, he decides to not do it due to the fact that it was a lie, and it would be wrong. It is evident from the examples provided that many characters in the Crucible behave in a way that meets their sense of beliefs and values without concern for punishment, reward, or group acceptance.
In conclusion, it is evident that Kollberg’s moral precepts have been a valuable asset in allowing the reader to achieve a further understanding for the characters in the Crucible. The 3 moral precepts being, pre-conventional, which means behaving in such a way to avoid punishment and obtain reward, conventional, that refers to behaving in a way to achieve group acceptance, and post-conventional, meaning acting in a way that proofs that you are confident in your values and beliefs, and neither rewards, punishments, or group acceptance are more important; these 3 categories demonstrate why Individuals behave the way they do when faced with certain situations.
