Moral Growth In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

The Moral Growth of John and Friends The play, The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller is aptly named; the characters are pushed to their emotional limit, and their morals as a whole are changed. However, some characters morals are more drastically affected than others. Reverend Parris is walking on thin ice in the town of Salem. Much of the congregation resents him for his greed and sermons filled with talk of fire and brimstone. When Betty is first affected by what is believed to be witchcraft, he quickly assures Thomas Putnam that “We cannot leap to Witchcraft. They will howl me out of Salem,” (14). His position as Reverend is very important to him. He relishes the power he has over the town and all the perks that come with his job. He is given his yearly salary in addition to firewood and also the deed to his house. Without his position, he is nothing. Later on when Giles Corey and John Proctor are testifying in court, Parris is so

When Thomas Putnam brings up Witcraft, Hale responds “We cannot look to superstition in this. The devil is precise; the marks of his presence are definite as stone…” (40). Hale is a scientific and methodical man. He wants to make sure he is being true and just to the townspeople. As the trials progress, Hale questions Proctor and asks him some questions regarding his faith; when Proctor falters, he says, “Theology, sir, is a fortress; no crack in that fortress may be accounted small,” (71). Hale again is methodical and confident in his knowledge. He also believes that in certain fields, there is no grey line determining between right and wrong. Near the end of the trial, he completely changes his mind as he sees the justice the court creates, “I denounce these proceedings, I quit this court!” (126). Hale operates on Kohlberg’s moral stage four, Social contract. He is concerned for the well being of all his peers and strives for