Often in literature an author presents us with behavior that seems somewhat odd or different in the Crucible, by Arthur Miller, several girls get caught dancing in the woods and this sparks a controversy so large, that eventually more than 80 people lose their lives by various means. Hysteria sometimes plays a role in how people behave and in what they believe, in the play the girls pretend to be “witched” because Reverend Parris, while walking in the woods, comes across them while they dancing around a cauldron. Some of the girls have taken off their garments and this horrifies the Reverend. The girls disperse, and two cannot wake up the next day. The girls behave in this manner for several reasons; they do not wish to be punished, they seek revenge, and they gain a sense of power and like it. This occurs in life today. One may go to any sporting event and see chaos ensue in the stands or on the field. This can be seen by our …show more content…
By being accused a person had the risk of being tried for treason and along with that accusation one would be given the death penalty. The author of the crucible had been accused of associating with communist and therefore had a trial done. After his trial he wrote “the crucible” to form an allegory to how the salem witch trials represented or even resembled the events of the red scare. Much like in the Crucible where Girls like Abby and her followers accused many innocent people of witchcraft like John Proctor, People during the red scare would also make false confessions of their friends or enemies to get them to have the death penalty. This time of trials is most commonly called “mccarthyism” because of the man senator mccarthy who acted much like Judge Danforth in deciding who was guilty or not and listening to the false convictions many were
In The Crucible by Arthur Miller was written in the 1950s about McCarthyism and its Nazi 'witch trials'. This book has several underlying themes but one of the more universal themes is hysteria as it is both still common and was prominent during the period the book was written. Hysteria can be described as exaggerated emotions especially in large groups. The characters in The Crucible all exhibit certain reactions to the hysteria that is within the town of Salem. While some try to use the hysteria to their advantage and settle old guess others try to increase their standings in the town. All of these examples can relate to McCarthyism.
In Arthur Miller's, The Crucible (1953), he shows us how hysteria took over the town of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. In The Crucible, the townspeople were led to believe that the devil had settled in their town and witches were responsible for it. In the play many people played a part in the hysteria that consumed the town, but some people had bigger effects than others because of their decisions and moral blindness. How did this handful of people cause so much hysteria? How does a town get so easily consumed by lies? When hysteria took over Salem many people were affected, lives were ruined and many innocent people were accused.
Stopping Hysteria Mass hysteria has pledged the planet since the beginning of time. Mass hysteria takes place when a group of a society fears another group with or without reason. For example, the events surrounding the mass hysteria of Y2K or the japanese camps of america during wwII. In both instances, people's fear caused them to do things without real cause. This type of behavior can also be seen in Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible; however, in the play, two characters could have stopped the hysteria, John Proctor and Abigail Williams.
In The Crucible, Arthur Miller shows us that misinformation and lack of leadership can drive masses to hysteria and he shows how important an appearance is in a community. Hysteria can drive people to do horrific things that they normally wouldn’t do. It could also push people to accuse others that they might not like for personal gains. The story features characters that are lower on the social ladder at the time rise to importance. For example Abigail and other girls were given more importance than the average woman at the time. People in Salem also use this hysteria to rid themselves of beggars and homeless citizens. In my opinion there were two types people in this book, those who wanted to follow religion blindly and kill heretics and, those who wanted to gain from the panic within the town.
What is mass hysteria? It is a condition in which a large group of people exhibit similar physical or emotional symptoms, such as anxiety or extreme excitement. In the Crucible, the Salem Witch Trials take place. The Salem Witch Trials took place in 1642 in Salem, Massachusetts. The Salem Witch Trials was a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft. The Crucible and the Salem Witch Trials is a notable example of mass hysteria. One example of mass hysteria was in 1994, The Toxic Lady. The Toxic Lady was a woman whose body and blood made the workers at Riverside General Hospital fall ill. But, when doctors and professionals took a closer look in the situation; they found out that mass hysteria has taken
Kaya Alvarez Grimmett English 11- Argumentative Essay 01 May 2024. When it comes to fear, have you ever wondered what might come when facing it? Fear in ‘The Crucible’ mass hysteria is a big problem. Mass hysteria can be stopped by an individual taking accountability for their wrongs, and being very aware as well as not believing every story. Fear can be spread amongst others, and a reaction to a situation.
Maximus Aurelius of Ridley Scott’s famous film Gladiator once said, “What we do in life echoes in eternity”, and this holds true no matter the time period. What we do in our lifetime will forever be remembered as it is documented by word of mouth or maybe on paper. This is not to say, although, that since what we do is remembered it can never happen again. The Crucible, By Arthur Miller is a timeless cautionary tale that warns the reader of the danger of greed, fear, and hysteria. Miller uses these as themes and conveys them through the power of example in characters in the play to caution us.
It is a universal idea that lies are the base for continual lies to come next. Many times we often tell a lie to save ourselves from getting into even more trouble than if we had told the truth. Although, this can lead to a downward spiral that requires more and more lies that continue to get even bigger and worse. This is shown in great extent through Arthur Miller’s book The Crucible with the mass hysteria caused by Abigail and Procter.
The hysteria depicted in "The Crucible" is a manifestation of fear and paranoia, fueled by personal vendettas and societal pressures. The initial accusations of witchcraft by Abigail Williams and her peers set off a chain reaction of accusations and trials, resulting in the unjust deaths of many innocent people. This frenzy of accusations reflects the intense fear and suspicion that permeated Salem, mirroring the paranoia of the McCarthy era in the 1950s when Miller wrote the play. Miller, who himself was investigated by the House Un-American Activities Committee during the McCarthy era, uses "The Crucible" to draw parallels between the Salem witch trials and the Red Scare. By highlighting the dangers of unchecked hysteria, Miller warns against the manipulation of fear for political or personal gain.
The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, was a historical play written about the Salem witch trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1692-93. The Salem witch trials created mass hysteria throughout the entire village of Salem, which was also mainly inhabited by Puritans. Puritans had a set ideal of firm beliefs that managed how they lived. Essentially, they were living as an elect, which meant they (referring to the Puritans) had a place in heaven for the righteous acts they have done in the physical world. Meaning, any sinful acts could potentially hinder the chances of entering heaven as an elect. The Crucible, questioned everything the Puritans abided by. It questioned the basic morals of a pure lifestyle, adultery and
The theme that reoccurred consistently throughout Act 2 was “Hysteria and Religion.” The hysteria spread throughout the Puritan society like a wildfire. Puritans were cautious and quick to judge based off of circumstantial evidence, nevertheless, dozens of people were convicted of crimes that they may or may not have committed. Religion was the center of all life at the time. The average individual knew the Bible inside and out. While (most) individuals attended church services regularly, no one could be exempt from persecution. A reputation could change with one misstep, “remember, until an hour before the Devil fell, God thought him beautiful in Heaven” (Miller 71).
1. Throughout The Crucible, the theme of mass hysteria is presented. For example, after Tituba “confessed” to have been working under pressure, Abigail screams “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!” (54) The reason why Abigail suddenly “confesses” starts with Tituba. Tituba was under extreme pressure when Reverend Hale and many others were screaming at her; therefore she decided to just give them what they want – a confession – so they would stop. Seeing this, Abigail joins in that she will not be interrogated later, thus adding to the overall hysteria and madness of a witch hunt. In addition, the theme of vengeance is also displayed when John Proctor blatantly states “I'll tell you what's walking Salem - vengeance is walking Salem… now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom,
In today's society there are many cases of mass hysteria just like long ago. In the book John Proctor says a quote that hits big time for mass hysteria, he says “God is dead” while laughing insanely, and if that does not cause mass hysteria then nothing does.
The novel, The Crucible was written in 1953 by Arthur Miller, which was based on the Salem Witch Trials existing in the late 1600s. In the play, Abigail and several other young women accuse innocent citizens of Salem for the action of witchcraft. During the trials, many individuals were unfairly persecuted; such as John Proctor. This event in history may be associated with the Red Scare, in which individuals were tried for their questionable influences of communism in the United States. When Miller compares the character of John Proctor to himself, the reader is able to relate the similar experiences that both men faced. The Crucible demonstrates the struggle against corruption involving the court, which lead to the death of many innocent individuals in Salem. The Crucible generates an allegory for Arthur Miller’s struggles with McCarthyism because of his similar experience relating to John Proctor’s battle against the Salem Witch Trials, and the relation between the actions of the court in both situations. Arthur Miller uses several writing methods in order to convey The Crucible as an allegory for his struggles with McCarthyism. Miller demonstrates how the Crucible represents an allegory for his conflict with McCarthyism by relating his experiences with the plot of the novel. Miller relates the novel to his struggles by stating, “Should the accused confess, his honesty could only be proved by naming former confederates.” (Are You Now… 34) Miller is explaining how the court
Hysteria is an exaggerated or uncontrollable emotion or excitement, especially among a group of people. This can lead to lie being spread that people will believe due to hysteria. In the Crucible by Arthur Miller, Arthur use the red scare of post war america as his inspiration for his novel. During the red scare people were accusing any person of being a communist and people believed because due to hysteria. Arthur miller uses hysteria to show that it leads to Damaged reputations,lies ,and hurting people's lives.