The purpose of this essay is to create a better understanding of the characters in The Crucible for the reader. Many of the characters in this play behave in a way that can be quite confusing for the reader. By using Kohlberg’s moral perceptions, the reader can get a much better understanding for the motivation behind the characters actions. This essay will look at three different categories of Kohlberg’s moral perceptions and use them to illustrate each characters thought process. These three categories are pre-conventional, conventional, and post-conventional.
There are many pre-conventional characters in the Crucible. Pre-conventional characters behave in such a way that allows them to obtain reward and avoid punishment. To begin, the Crucible starts off with a group of girls dancing in a forest. This resulted in the girls getting caught and getting in trouble. A short time later Betty and Abby are in a room together while Abby is yelling at Betty saying, “shut it! Shut it!”. This quote is a pre-conventional example as Abigail is trying to stop Betty from saying that she drank blood that night when they were partying in the woods. Subsequently Abby falsely accused Tituba of being the reason for all the girls dancing in the woods. As a result Reverend Parris tells her “You will confess yourself or I will take you out and whip you to your death”. Because of Abigail’s accusation, Tituba was forced to confess to avoid punishment. Afterwards, in the Procter home, Elizabeth has made dinner for John. There is tension between the two as Elizabeth knows that John has been with Abigail. Therefore John tries to ease the tension by saying “if the crop is good, I’ll buy George Jacobs heifer”. Luckily for John, his attempt to ease the tension between the two of them worked and he was able to avoid the punishment of Elizabeth getting angry at him. To conclude, The Crucible has many pre-conventional characters and there are many instances in the story where they can be found.
There are many conventional characters in The Crucible. Conventional characters behave in a certain way to fit in and be accepted by the group. In act two, John and Elizabeth Procter are having a discussion and Elizabeth is telling John that he should confess to the court that he had an affair with Abigail. John then tells Elizabeth “I will think on it”. This quote from John shows that he is more concerned about his reputation in the town than doing what is right. Later in act 3, during the court case, the girls are suspects of witchcraft. Mercy Lewis along with all the other girls, copied Marry Warren as she said, “Abby you mustn’t”. The reason for Mercy Lewis copying Marry was so she could fit in with all the other girls and not be seen as the odd one out. Immediately after, in the same court case, all the other girls copy Abby as she screams “praise god”. They all do this as they believe that it is their best chance get through the situation and maintain acceptance from the group. To summarize, The Crucible has many conventional characters and there are many instances in the story where they can be found.
There are many post-conventional characters in The Crucible. You behave in a way that reflects and internalize some of right and wrong. This sense of morality cannot be affected by reward, punishment, or group acceptance. At the beginning of the play, Betty shows post conventional behavior by saying “You drank blood, Abby, you didn’t tell him that”. This is an example as she is sticking up to Abby without caring about how it will affect her. Much later in the play, Giles Corey is getting tortured by being pressed. This was used to get him to give up a name and confess to witchcraft. He doesn’t confess and instead says “more weight”. This shows his true character and that he cannot be affected by reward, punishment, or group acceptance. Immediately after Giles Corey’s death, Rebecca Nurse is being told to confess to witchcraft. She says, “It is a lie how many I damn myself”. This quote shows that she stays true to herself and has no concern for what others are thinking. To sum up, The Crucible has many post-conventional characters and there are many instances in the story where they can be found.
This paper has made it evident that the characters within this play act in strange and confusing ways. However, by breaking it down and using a direct quote from each character and demonstrating the motivations, their behaviour, and the reasons behind it have become clear. Kohlberg is a reliable vehicle that aids the reader in better understanding the play and human nature in general. This essay as achieved what it was created for, which was to give the reader a better understanding of the characters and literature as a whole.
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