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Examples Of Hysteria In The Crucible

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To begin, a major theme of The Crucible by Arthur Miller is Hysteria. This theme is developed throughout the play by demonstrating the community being scared of witchcraft and going on a craze with accusing people of witchcraft. In the play, Abigail Williams is caught dancing in the woods and blames Tituba. The play states, “I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil” (Miller, 1953, p.48). This quote proves how people were lying during the Salem Witch Trials to prevent themselves from being charged with witchcraft. It shows hysteria because people are going wild and arguments are being caused because they do not want to be charged with witchcraft. “We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy children are jangling the keys of the kingdom, and common vengeance writes the law…” (Miller, 1953, p.77). …show more content…

With today's ideology, this is morally incorrect because everyone has the right to a fair trial. This shows how the theme of hysteria is developed throughout the course of The Crucible. In addition, the theme of hysteria fits the purpose for writing The Crucible. Miller wrote The Crucible as an allegory to the era of McCarthyism. This was when people were called to hearings if it was mentioned that the person believed in communism. It is similar to in The Crucible when one would be summoned to court if they showed any signs of witchcraft. The purpose of the play was to show the hysteria during McCarthyism while using events from the Salem Witch Trials. In conclusion, hysteria is shown throughout the play and ties to Miller’s purpose for writing The

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