The Crucible
In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, there is a vast array of complex characters. Their behaviour and actions affect the story tremendously. To truly understand these characters and their motivation for committing these acts, one must refer to Kollberg’s three moral perceptions. The moral perceptions are pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional. The definition of each will be discussed later. Characters from the play will be used to illustrate and explain Kollberg’s three moral perceptions.
There are a variety of characters in The Crucible that follow Kollberg’s moral perceptions of pre-conventionalism. To be pre-conventional, one must act in a way that obtains a reward and avoids punishment. Tituba is the first pre-conventional character to be discussed. She displays pre-conventionalism when she states that “The Devil got him numerous witches.” Tituba attempts to deflect the attention from herself onto others. She lies to avoid the punishment of death, and her reward is to live. Additionally, Betty demonstrates pre-conventional behaviour. To avoid punishment and obtain a reward, she mentions that “[she] saw George Jacobs with the Devil.” If the residents of Salem discovered that the girls were dancing in the woods, they would be punished. For Betty to avoid punishment, she lied and diverted attention to George Jacobs. Although he was not present in the room, she says that she saw him with the Devil. Accusations as serious as this can result in the accused being hanged. However, Betty wants to protect herself and she does this by blaming another person. Furthermore, John Proctor is pre-conventional. He exhibits this when he says, “I’ll think on it.” John says this when Elizabeth asks him to go to the court in Salem. They know the girls are lying about people committing witchcraft. In fact, Abigail confesses to John that she lied and was falsely accusing the villagers of witchcraft. However, John is hesitant to confront the court as he had an affair with Abigail in the past. He should not have been speaking to her in the first place privately. There also runs the risk of him being accused of lechery by Abigail if he goes to court with the information he knows; therefore, he decides not to speak out yet. To avoid punishment for being a lecher, he decides to stay quiet with vital information that could save innocent lives. John’s reward for this is keeping his reputation as a devoted Christian man who takes care of his family. Each of these characters previously mentioned acted in a pre-conventional manner.
Conventional characters are also found in the play. One displays conventional behaviour when they behave in a way to fit into a group. Ann Putnam demonstrates this behaviour when she asks, “Do you think it be God’s will that I lose 7 children?” Ann is unable to come to terms with the loss of her children. Instead of accepting that they died of natural causes or with no foul play involved, she questions if people (such as her midwife) had something to do with it. She attempts to gain sympathy by asking this question and achieve group acceptance. Another character who exhibits conventionalism is Mary. She says to John Proctor, “You’re the Devil’s man,” a statement made after Mary realizes that exposing the truth about the girls’ lies regarding witchcraft to the court is ineffectual. Judge Danforth is adamant that the other girls are correct about witchcraft running rampant in the town. Although Mary tries to do the right thing morally, she turns on John when she recognizes she could be in trouble and calls him the Devil’s man. If she takes the girls’ side and achieves group acceptance, then Abigail and the rest of them will spare her from being accused. The last conventional character to be discussed is Abigail Williams. She says, “I want the light of God,” and “I want the sweet love of Jesus!” to present herself as an innocent Christian girl. She says this to prove that she is under the control of witchcraft and the Devil. Afterwards, she begins to accuse other people of being associated with the Devil. Abigail wants to be seen as a victim of this unholy, supernatural crime. She tries to fit in with the other Christian residents, so she won’t get in trouble for going into the woods. All of these characters display conventional behaviour.
Lastly, we will discuss the post-conventional characters within this play. The definition of a post-conventional character is someone who internalizes a sense of right and wrong without concern for reward, punishment, or group acceptance. Giles Corey is the first character to be analyzed who demonstrates post-conventional behaviour. He is fearless. This characteristic is exhibited when he says, “More weight” before he is pressed to death during his interrogation. Elizabeth Proctor mentions his death to John, who is astounded. Giles’ statement represents his virtuous nature. He was aware that the court was being unfair and at an advantage against the less educated farmers. Instead of falsely confessing to witchcraft, Giles decided to die a Christian under the law. He did this so his land wouldn’t be confiscated by the state. Instead, his land went to his children, and he died an honourable death. Moreover, Reverend Hale acts conventionally. When Giles Corey is present in court, Reverend Hale notices that he has no legal team to represent him. He mentions to Judge Danforth to “Send [Giles Corey] home and let him come again with a lawyer,” as he notices the unfairness in the legal system. Hale is aware that Danforth is taking advantage of the situation knowing that the farmers have no access to lawyers. The court is at an advantage, but Hale tries to do the right thing. He wants a fair trial to take place because Giles is being accused of witchcraft, which can result in him being hanged. Unfortunately, Danforth’s ignorance of this matter allows injustice to take place. The final post-conventional character to be discussed is Elizabeth Proctor. When Reverend Hale talks to the Proctors at their residence, he questions Elizabeth about the accusations of her being a witch. She responds to him by saying, “If you think I am one, then I say there is none,” emphasizing the integrity of her character. She believes that witches do not exist, refuting the idea of her being one as well. Elizabeth sticks to her faith as a Christian woman, and she refuses to lie. She has no concern for group acceptance or obtaining a reward. Overall, these characters do what they believe to be right without the concern for group acceptance or reward, and visibly they exemplify post-conventional behaviour.
The characters mentioned previously all encompass a fragment of Kollberg’s moral perceptions. Their behaviours and actions shape who they are and what motivates them to do what they do. Every character is driven to act on their desires, presumed rewards, and moral codes. The moral perceptions of pre-conventionalism, conventionalism, and post-conventionalism can help us explain and understand each complex character within The Crucible.
