A personality reflects a person’s character and
actions. Some of the major
classifications for personality include:
helper, thinker, planner and doer.
A helper is someone who has good people skills, communication, and feels
the need to make a difference in others’ lives (Blue Helper). A thinker is a creative problem solver and
believes that knowledge is power; he or she has an unquenchable desire for
understanding (Green Thinker). The
planner personality type is typically conventional, has a high respect for authority,
and a strong sense of right and wrong (Yellow Planner). The final personality type, the doer, is a persuasive
motivator and courageous by acting on a moment’s notice (Red Doer). The characters in Arthur Miller’s The
Crucible display different personalities which provide reasoning for the
way that they act.
One of the
main characters in the story is a young lady by the name of Abigail
Williams. She is bossy, threatening,
malicious, and crafty. When the other
girls who she had been practicing witchcraft with arrive, she intimidates them
by saying that will kill them if tell about what they did on the night that
they were caught dancing (Miller 20).
Abigail uses the superstition of the town not only to her advantage by
staying alive but also to put claims against Mrs. Proctor (Miller 73), whom she
saw as being in the way of her relationship with John Proctor (Miller 22). By analyzing Abigail’s behavior in the first
two acts, I would label her, as well as several of the other girls, as a
doer. Similar to the description of the
doer, she is able to convince the others that she had been influenced into
taking part in witchcraft and was thus not guilty (Miller 44). She
also makes several of her decisions by looking at the present rather than the
future. When she realizes that giving
out names will of alleged devil worshipers, she keeps naming one after another
(Miller 48). In addition, Abigail also
tries to have Mrs. Proctor killed by drinking a charm (Miller 19) and later by
accusing her of witchcraft (Miller 73). She does not consider how this would affect
the relationship between John and her.
Abigail seems to be very “in the moment” and if she wants something then
nothing will stand in her way of getting it.
Reverend
Parris is another important person in this work. The uncle of Abigail and father of Betty
(Miller 8), he is the one who spotted the girls at night performing witchcraft
(Miller 10). His character is stern and partial
to those whom he sees as sinners. When
he is accused of preaching too much about hell, Parris sticks by his decision
and says, “There is either obedience or the church will burn like Hell is
burning!” (Miller 30). Due to his strong
beliefs in right and wrong, Parris could be classified as a planner. This trait helps determine some of his behaviors
such as not wanting to accept that witchcraft had been used because it would be
a disgrace for the town to see that members of his own family partook in
sorcery. He felt a need to keep his
appearance as untarnished as possible in order to maintain his status as a
person with authority.
The third
character to be discussed is Reverend Hale.
He is dedicated to studying the ways of demons that he may cast them out
of people. When he arrives at Parris’s
house, he is carrying a load of books (Miller 36). When questioned about how heavy the books
are, Hale replies, “They must be; they are weighted with authority…We shall
need hard study if it comes to tracking down the Old Boy.” (Miller 36-37). This suggests that Hale is a thinker. He believes that knowledge is power and he searches
for understanding of demonic roots. His
personality brings forth his actions in the way that he gives the impression of
being completely focused on facts and possibilities to decide who might be a
witch. He let is factual information
override his rationality. Even after
thirty-nine women were arrested on the basis of witchcraft, including Rebecca
Nurse, he still believed that it was possible that they were all guilty (Miller
64).
Personality
can play a key role in the way that people carry out their lives. Different people have different temperaments which
cause them to respond to situations differently than others might. The characters in The Crucible are a
fair example of how a person’s personality can direct the way that person makes
his or her choices.
Works Cited
"Carolyn Kalil Career Green Thinker Card Results."
Carolyn Kalil Career Green Thinker Card Results. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.truecolorscareer.com/greenfinal.htm>.
"Carolyn Kalil Career Quiz Blue Helper Card
Results." Carolyn Kalil Career Quiz Blue Helper Card Results. N.p., n.d.
Web. 9 Sept. 2012. <http://www.truecolorscareer.com/bluefinal.htm>.
"Carolyn Kalil Career Red Doer Card Results."
Carolyn Kalil Career Red Doer Card Results. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.truecolorscareer.com/redfinal.htm>.
"Carolyn Kalil Career Yellow Planner Card."
Carolyn Kalil Career Yellow Planner Card. N.p., n.d. Web. 9 Sept. 2012.
<http://www.truecolorscareer.com/yellowfinal.htm>.
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York, NY: Penguin, 1996.
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