The Crucible
Introducing: The purpose of his essay is to discuss the play by Arthur Miller entitled the Crucible. In this piece of literature, many characters behave in ways that may cause the reader confusion, However if one whos Kellbergs moral perceptions, once can achieve a better understanding into why characters in this play behave as they do. Kellbergs moral perceptions represent a type of explanation for the motivation for the character to behave as they do throughout the play. The three levels of the behavior to be are pre-convention, conventional, and post-conventional. All three of these concepts will be discussed in some detail in this essay.
It is clear from the discussion that has taken place that characters in the crucible are understand more clearly that is in sight has been gained into their reasoning for the the decisions have made through the play by meaning reference to Kellbergs moral preceptions. Pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional actions are displayed by many characters throughout the play. This makes the characters easier to understand and more familiar to the reader because we understand the reasoning behind the things they say and do. This paper has successfully to achieve a better understanding for the literature.
Pre-Conventional:
There are Pre-convention characters in the Crucible.
Pre-Conventional means avoiding punishment to achieve the reward, the characters behave normally to avoid punishment to get their reward. The example of pre-conventional character is Abigail, she is the antagonist of the story. She has great lust for John Proctor and her hatred for his wife, Elizabeth Proctor. She likes to spread misinformation, telling lies, and manipulating others to achieve her goal to get John Proctor back. When Elizabeth Proctor was accused for Witchcraft over a poppet, Abigail claims that Elizabeth Proctor stabbed her with a needle into her belly. “Goody Proctor always kept poppets”
this shows how Abigail accusation against Elizabeth Proctor is a example of pre-conventional character as she acting self-interest and personal gain rather than respecting the safety of others. Although it was unknown that the poppet becomes a incriminating evidence.
Another pre-conventional character is Betty.
Betty, who is the daughter of Parris, participated in witchcraft in the forest with the girls, but then she was caught for witchcraft by her father, she starts to faint from shock. When she was laying on her bed, Abigail knew she isn’t on her coma. “Betty, dear, wake up” she pretends to be sick because she is afraid of her Father finding out that she is faking it..
The final pre-conventional is John Proctor.
He is known to be a farmer and a committed Christian, but his own flaws led to his sexual affair with Abigail. He is worried about what people think about him, so instead he lies to cover up his secrets in the village to keep his high status, but he still struggles with feelings of guilt and shame. “I’ll cut my hand off before I ever reach to you” He is avoiding punishment and successfully achieving to hide his dark secret.
This is what Pre-conventional means, avoiding any punishment by lying and achieving their goals to be viewed as a good person.
Conventional
There are conventional characters in the crucible. Conventional means when a person finds a way to act in a specific way to get accepted by the group or to be approved. The example of an conventional character is Mary Warren, she is John Proctor’s assistance, she knows that the girls are lying and the Proctors were innocent. She tries to help but she doesn’t know how to defend what is right, instead she switches sides to Abigail’s group because she feels safer. She accused John Proctor for being a witch. “Abby I’ll never hurt you again” Another conventional character is Elizabeth Proctor.
She is John’s wife and also a Christian who wants to be a good person because of her kindness and self-control. She never lies or does bad things, she has a moral conscience. Although she struggles to be the worthy of being a good wife despite she knows that Abigail and her husband John Proctor had an affair. John Proctor convinces to Danforth “That women will never lie” claiming that Elizabeth is pregnant which means John is protecting her from getting hanged. This shows Elizabeth desired to be viewed as the good people in Salem but decided to lie so she can be innocent.
The final conventional character is the girls
The girls are participation of witchcraft on the forest with their leader Abigail Williams.
They falsely accused anyone of witchcraft leading innocents to execution. During on court when Mary Warren tries to tell the truth that Abigail accused Elizabeth Proctor , they pretended that Mary is sending her spirit coming out of her body, forming a yellow bird is attacking them. “Abby stop it” The girls were preventing their charges from withcraft by pretending there was a spirit attacking them. so they can get away from punishment.
Post-Conventional
There are Post-Conventional characters in the Crucible.
Post-Conventional means that a character that know their morals imperatives and decisions what their personal values and opinions.
The example of a Pre-Conventional character is Elizabeth Proctor, In court Hale asks if is true that John Proctor and Abigail did have an affair. When said “No sir” she believes it was okay to lie, but also the irony when John Proctor said she won’t lie. Although she did that to protect John Proctors reputation but knew that lying was necessary.
Another post-conventional character is John Proctor.
When he was forced to sign the confession or protect his name
“How may I live without my name” reason because he is willing to die without his secret being exposed on Salem, his reputation was important to him which he wanted keep his character good without testifying Abigail on court. He chooses to rip off the contract, unfortunately this leads to his execution but he learned what is being good means.
The final post-conventional character is Rebecca Nurse.
She is the most lovely and respected elder women in Salem, she is a grandmother to eight children. But when her convection to witchcraft starts the witch trail. Judge Danforth asks Rebecca Nurse “How may I damn myself” she was willing to die even though her honest response sends into her death by execution. She believes that after she dies she can go to heaven.
The three characters showed what their morality, knowing what is right and wrong and their personal opinions.
All characters in the Crucible were discussed as pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional. They behaved in the strangest way to obtain their personal needs and values. Observing their quotes explaining what they are doing with their actions In Kellberg’s story, we can describe the characters from our point of view.
