no universal standard of morality that dictates how cows should be treated, the issue becomes morally subjective. This subjectivity can be applied to the majority of moral qualms, and is relevant to the intended objective standards assigned to Puritan society. Because there are no moral rulings that are accepted unconditionally by all heritages or unique individuals, morality cannot be objectively judged or assigned.
             Because morality is not feasibly objective, societies must create codes of conduct that suggest what is good and what is not. Most commonly, acts that are beneficial to the collective population are considered to be good, while those that favor individual well-being are seen as selfish and inherently immoral. Morality based upon a group creates order, suggesting that utopian calm can be attained when everyone strives towards common goals. It is this belief that reinforces the group ethic presented in The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible. However, in both books the author's present individuals who stray from the prescribed edict of the Church, and who have voluntarily separated themselves from the moral group in search of self-fulfillment. This deviance threatens the fragile balance of consensual society. John Proctor creates conflict by expressing his individual perception of reality that directly contradicts the reality created by the communal church. By refusing to accept the accusations of the church against Elizabeth and him, Proctor is favoring his own beliefs over the ideals that would be most accepted by the group, and therefore, by certain standards, performing immoral actions. However, Proctor, like his wife, is innocent, and his opposition to the Church is valid. His actions drawn from internal purpose disapprove of the misguided causes of social order, shown in his abrasive contemplation, "Is the accuser always holy now? We are what we always were in Salem, but now ...common vengeance writes the law!...