Examples Of Paranoia In The Crucible

One principal cause of such paranoia is the general level of control over the circumstances of one’s life. As a result, these people are led to believe there is some external force controlling everything, thus causing their misfortune. This can be seen in the Crucible as well. Mrs. Putnam, for instance, becomes certain that someone murdered her children after Ruth is afflicted; she wants something to blame for her misfortune, and she unconsciously wants it to be witchcraft. This can be seen in Abigail’s resentment for Elizabeth as well: she feels as if Elizabeth is preventing her from being with Proctor. According to (1st source), “witchcraft is one of the most common motives for revenge among hunter-gatherers and tribal societies. In their theory of causation, there is no such thing as a natural death.

... “ It is easy, then, to see that religion, government, or perhaps paranoia itself, plays a definite role to some degree, as it is impossible to see why one would believe such absurdities had it not been for their already established belief the supernatural, or whatever it may be. During the Red Scare, when schoolchildren were shown films of nuclear explosions, they were encouraged to “duck and cover” to escape the effects. Such indoctrination is a prime example of the fear tactics used in the pursuit of witch hunting. When something happens, people may feel as if they are powerless and vulnerable. This lack of control may lead to fear, which clearly leads to paranoia, a state in which one actively searches for ‘evidence’ to back up their absurd claims. This heightened state of hysteria will cause one to believe everything they hear, including facts that may or may not be founded on common