How Did Mass Hysteria Occur In The Crucible

During the late 17th century a total of 200 people were accused of participating in witchcraft, while 19 people lost their lives to the mass hysteria. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, a group of girls start a huge uproar in Salem, Massachusetts when they start screeching about Salemites being associated with the Devil. Throughout the play write, it shows the consequences of mass hysteria and how it puts people's lives in danger. Abigail Williams causes a wave of mass hysteria and because of her trickery, innocent people have died by her and the other girl’s actions, for this Abigail is the most unforgivable character in The Crucible.

In January 1692 in the city of Salem, Massachusetts a mass hysteria broke out. Eight girls began showing signs of a strange and unknown illness, with symptoms of delirium, impaired speech, convulsions, and screaming. The villagers wanted an explanation, so the doctor diagnosed the girls with bewitchment. Soon, accusations were being thrown out left and right. This lead to over 150 citizens accused of witchcraft, then sent to jail.

Hysteria in Salem The Crucible is a play written by American author, Arthur Miller, in 1953. It is a somewhat fictional play about the Salem Witch Trials. Miller wrote it as an allegory to the Red Scare, the promotion of fear of a potential rise of communism. Miller himself was blacklisted for refusing to testify in front of the HUAC, a committee that was created to investigate any person who might be a communist.

In the play “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller, fear, jealousy and greed play a significant role in the Salem witchcraft hysteria. What possessed so many Salem townspeople to accuse their friends and neighbors of performing unexplainable actions upon innocent lives? Many based their claim on the feelings they had for their neighbors. Those feelings may have been hatred, or even love for them. Individuals then began to fear what so many were pushing to be the truth, they feared for their lives and safety of their family's.

Fear and Hysteria can cause people to act in ways that they never thought possible. In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, the characters Cheever and Mary Warren both act in unusual ways because of fear and hysteria. This is evident in their interactions with others regarding witchcraft. John Proctor realizes how fear is affecting his life and the life of other people in the town. While Mary Warren is being accused of witchcraft he interjects with, “If [Mary Warren] is innocent!

Mass hysteria has plagued society for centuries, whether through religious, cultural or medical reasoning. Even society today goes through phases of fear of the unknown. Throughout history, mass hysteria has taken root at specific points in civilization and is usually caused by a tragedy or some form of cultural acceptance. Usually this fear is mandated by the leader of a particular group, and the majority of the group volunteers to isolate the minorities of the group. This is used in order to make themselves believe that they have solved the issue, while in reality all they’ve done is found a scapegoat.

“Why do you never wonder if Parris be innocent, or Abigail? Is the accuser always holy now? Were they born this morning as clean as God’s fingers? I’ll tell you what’s walking Salem - Vengeance is walking Salem. 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!”

The Crucible took place in Salem, Massachusetts where the Puritans lived in a restricted society with a unique culture and lifestyle. Puritans lives focused on religion and following God’s plan. Throughout the The Crucible religion played a major role in regards to the plot of the story. Religion was a big deal to the Puritans as it was a requirement to attend church. They wanted to live a simple and peaceful life.

Spreading Fear to Maintain Power Arthur Miller's The Crucible takes place in Salem, Massachusetts; a town that is soon to be plagued with dark times. When accusations are made that girls of the town are performing witchcraft, everyone is thrown into mass hysteria. With total chaos, some of the members see this as an opportunity to seize control of the situation. These individuals establish and maintain this power through spreading terror and fear over the majority. This is done by threatening other characters, using their unjust credibility and abusing authoritative positions.

When people are placed under an intense feeling of fear, they begin to commit actions they never thought they were capable over. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, a young group of girls commit witchcraft which eventually leads to the arrest of over 100 women. This is similar to a time in the 1950s when Joseph McCarthy accuses government officials of communism and that ultimately leads to hundreds of citizens losing their jobs. The Crucible reveals the similarities between The Salem Witch Trials of the 1690s and McCarthyism of the 1950s because it demonstrates how a society can be tremendously impacted by the feeling the fear.