In Arthur Miler's The Crucible, all of the characters have developed personalities. The characters were so well developed, that I can apply Carolyn Kalil's True Colors to each of the main characters. The four colors: gold, green, orange, and blue, represent four different characteristics. If someone is gold then they are a leader, planner, and get the job done on time and efficiently (Kalil). They are the bossy person who tends to be slightly have OCD and stress the rules. If someone is green then they are the problem solver, thinker, and also could lead (Kalil). The green people know that they are always right, and if they make a mistake they have to correct it because it bothers them to no end. If someone is orange they are the motivators and spontaneous (Kalil). They are the artsy people who tend to have a slight tendency to be ADHD. If someone is blue they are very helpful, romantic, and lovey-dovey (Kalil). They make people feel good about themselves and are the emotional support of the group. Everyone is primarily one of those aforementioned colors. Also, everyone has a dominant second color that shows in their personality. Arthur Miller's characters follow Kalil's True Colors and they each have a primary and secondary color.
John Proctor, for example, is primarily green and his secondary color is blue. Proctor is green because he is a thinker and knows he is right. When he messed up (cheating on Elizabeth with Abigail) he can only concentrate on fixing his mistakes, and knows that he might have to take a blow to his reputation before everything is settled and his mistakes have been fixed or reconciled (Miller 22). John Proctor is also secondarily blue as he is emotional and tries to communicate his problems with Elizabeth to her as well as tries to nicely inform Abigail that there is nothing between them, so her feelings are not crushed(Miller 54). But as she did not respond well to that, Proctor had to be angry and use force to get his point across (Miller 152).
Abigail Williams, the antagonistic, crazy girl, exhibits gold traits as her primary color. She is deceptive and even though she is a young girl, she places herself in a position of power over Salem (Miller 77). She is a leader, even if it is to death, fear, and terror. Abigail's secondary color is blue. She is a romantic and loves John Proctor, even if he no longer returns the feeling (Miller 150). She fantasizes about the two of them, even going as far as to accuse Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft (Miller 61). Elizabeth believes that Abigail "thinks to kill me, then to take my place" (Miller 61). Abigail is a very evil person, but falls into Kalil's True Colors spectrum with ease.
Reverend John Hale is definitely has a primarily green personality. He uses logic and book to try to figure out what is occurring in Salem (Miller 66-67). His books are "weighted down with authority" (Miller 66). Reverend Hale thinks before making rash decisions like in the case of accusing Elizabeth Proctor of witchcraft (Miller 69). From what I have read in the first two acts, Hale does not strike me as to having a secondary color. After finishing the story, another color could become apparent. But Hale doesn't strike me as blue or orange. Maybe a tad bit gold, but there is not overwhelming evidence.
Kalil, Carolyn. "Carolyn Kalil's Personality Quiz." Follow Your True Colors. Web. 11 Sept. 2011.
Miller, Arthur. The Crucible: A Play in Four Acts. New York, NY: Penguin, 2003. Print.
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