Examples Of Bandwagon In The Crucible

“Abigail: I want to open myself! ... I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! ...

The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a story about the tragedies that occur in Salem. This tragedy was caused by mass hysteria that spread through people like wildfire. With people not having the ability to determine right or wrong and most people still following leaders like sheep, there wasn’t a chance to stop this event. This also reflects how false information can be spread across the world with all the technology we have today.

When in reality, there were no witches, it was all false notations of Abigail's’ lie that lead into something greater than it should have been.“It were only sport in the beginning, sir, but then the whole world cried spirits, spirits” (Mary Warren, Act 3, p. 100)

Abigail and Mary Warren have one final similarity; they both are apprehensive. While in court when about to be convicted, both girls blamed someone else for being witches and said they saw them with the devil. Then they would say explain that they have found God again so they are off the hook. When all this shenanigans first started, Abigail shouted “I saw Goody Hawkins with the Devil. I saw Goody Booth with the Devil!” By saying those names she was taken off the hook, and Goody Hawkins and Goody Booth were now being accused of witchery. This shows that Abigail is apprehensive because, she was scared of what would happen so by blaming it on someone else she didn’t have to worry about what would happen to her. Mary Warren also did the same terrible thing. Right before Mary Warren was to be called a witch by the court she said “You’re the Devil’s Man!” to John Proctor. That made the court decide to convict Proctor instead of her because she cried that she had found God. It made Mary not have to be fearful for her own life anymore.

When an entire crowd is choosing to go down the same path it makes it easy for us to follow the leader, even if the outcome may be against our morals or not truly what we believe is right. In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, we see people follow one false accusation with more. Sadly, it’s human nature to choose to make the same decisions and behave similarly as those we are surrounded by. This is distinguished in two ways: mob mentality and mass hysteria. Mob mentality is the behavior of a large crowd who are solely followers. Mass hysteria is a condition affecting a large group, characterized by anxiety, irrational beliefs or behavior, and inexplicable symptoms of illness. All of these signs are very much present in the Salem mass, but when it comes down to it, who was the person that started all of this? Abigail Williams is the one responsible for creating the mass hysteria in Salem, Massachusetts.

Abigail is not only a liar she is selfish. She tells lies that hurt others in order to help herself and she is devious. In the court room she announces, "I want to open myself! . . . I want the light of God, I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced for the Devil, I saw him, I wrote in his book, I go back to Jesus, I kiss His hand. I saw Sarah

“Abigail: I want to open myself! ... I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! ...

I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil!” (Miller) As seen, in order to save her own skin Abigail begins to accuse others. When the people who were suspected, accuse others this causes many suspicions to arise in town. In order to survive, the people must either name other names or confess. Either one is a met with a deadly consequence, giving them little hope. Those who tried to fight against the accusations, such as the Proctors, Coreys or Nurses felt the power of Abigail and her influence over the judges. Eventually, a lot of people followed Abigail, knowing better than to oppose her.

The book“The Crucible”by Arthur Miller, describes the ultimate twist of the Salem Witch Trials, and origins, which happened between the colonial years of 1692-1693 in Massachusetts. The novel is filled with characters which are bad and good, they all have certain “issues”. The person who started the crazy in Salem is Abigail, she is Reverend Parris’s niece. The logical fallacies in the book played a big role in making bad decisions, this is the reason why the obnoxious accusations of witchcraft and prosecutions lasted so long. The most dangerous logical fallacy that happened  in the Crucible is the Bandwagon occurrence because people have no choice but to pick a side and makes people believe in that certain truth or story even though it may be wrong.

And you know I can do it… I can make you wish you had never seen the sun go down!” (Miller 20). This quote supports the ideas of how Abigail is threatening the other girls to agree with her accusations, and withhold all of the actions committed in the forest. The threatening should have been a last resort, but she uses that as her first resort. Inadvertently, she heads to high extents to frighten the young girls, by the use of harsh words, just to keep them quiet. Although Abigail sought to utilize the methods of witchcraft to eliminate Elizabeth Proctor, she was not proud of committing witchcraft, and if her wrong action is revealed to society, her dignity will disappear, so she begins to threaten her accomplices. This indicates that Abigail does not care about any other person, but herself. Another quote that represents Abigail’s selfishness and desire to preserve good name is “I danced for the Devil: I saw him: I wrote in his book: I go back to Jesus: I kiss his hand. I saw Sarah Good with the devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil…” (Miller 48). This quote symbolizes Abigail starting to lie to protect the virtue of her reputation and the fact that she is willing to accuse innocent people is emphasized through this quote. The quote shows the extremity of Abigail’s endeavor. She will allow other people to be punished

Hysteria is the vital aspect in the act “The Crucible” about witchcraft which spreads throughout the small town called Salem and involved having tragic events without any facts. Abigail Williams is a major character in the play “The Crucible” Arthur Miller, but she is portrayed as an great antagonist who drives the wheel in the play. She has an unnatural power to manipulate others and gain control over them. Abigail states "I want to open myself! . . . I want the light of God, I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced for the Devil; I saw him, I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss His hand. I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil! (Miller 48). While confessing to witchcraft gets Tituba positive attention, and makes her a believable to accuse others, along with Betty she uses same technique to develop trust toward others. A major theme of the play is blame, revenge, and mistaken innocence. Abigail shifts the focus away from herself by accusing others of witchcraft. This furious act of selfishness soon becomes Abigail drive of power.

“Think about the last sporting event or concert you attended. It’s unlikely that you would have been yelling or singing the way you were if you were the only person doing it!” (Donley). Being in a group, in some way, seems to make some behaviors acceptable that wouldn’t be acceptable otherwise. “The bandwagon effect is a psychological phenomenon whereby people do something primarily because other people are doing it, regardless of their own beliefs” (Bloom). Bandwagoning is also commonly referred to as “mob mentality” or “groupthink.” We can observe many instances of bandwagoning and mob mentality when reading about the false accusations and impulse convictions made in The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller and published in January 1953. This piece is a play inspired by the infamous witch trials that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts in the late 1600s. How do the effects of bandwagoning relate to the Salem Witch Trials and why do we, as humans, allow behavior of others to influence our own?

Abigail Williams wanted what was best for her. She did not care of others. Due to Abigail’s actions a whole conflict outbursts in Salem, Massachusetts. The girls have been caught in the woods dancing and even naked. They have been caught and accused of doing witchcraft. Betty is then “very ill” and they believe she is going to die. Betty awakes. Abigail threatens the girls to stay quiet. “You did. You did! You drank a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife! You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor!” (Miller 18). This shows that Abigail Williams was a villain because she was hoping for the death of a person in order to get what she desired. Abigail and the girls were caught doing witchcraft. Abigail comes up with a different story to tell. “Now look you. We danced. And Tituba conjured Ruth Putnam’s dead sisters. And that is all. And mark this. Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the back of shudder

Hysteria is displayed by communities all over the world. It is an important factor in making and especially breaking relationships. In The Crucible, a play by Arthur Miller, hysteria plays an important role of tearing apart the community of Salem by creating an environment where people act on their grudges. It is shown by many of the characters throughout the play as they eventually ruin one another as the book goes on. Mass hysteria negatively affects the lives of people around us. Many things have changed around us since 1692 but the belief of mass hysteria hasn't. The Crucible remains important in society today because the mass hysteria portrayed in the Salem Witch Trials was shown in the N.Y outbreak.

Although the audience is aware that the categories of “good” and “evil” have gotten terribly mixed up in this play, Mary is faced with a life or death situation: if she does what is really “good” she will die by those who hold the power and declare it “not good;” whereas if she does what is wrong, she ends up lying. "Mary, tell the Governor what they- when, seeing him coming for her, she rushes out of his reach, screaming in horror. Don't touch me-don't touch me! I'll not hang with you! I love God, I love God. He bid you do the Devil's work? He come at me by night and every day to sign, to sign, to- Sign what? The Devil's book? He come with a book? My name, he want my name. "I'll murder you," he says, "if my wife hangs! We must go and overthrow the court," he says! Mr. Hale! I love God, I bless God. Sobbing, she rushes to Abigail. Abby, Abby, I'll never hurt you no more. What are you? Proctor is beyond speech in his anger. You are combined with