Mob Mentality In The Crucible

A coward is a person who is so scared of others that they do not take responsibility for their actions therefore they often get innocent people in trouble. In Arthur Miller’s retelling of the Salem Witch Trials entitled The Crucible, the character of Mary Warren is the quintessential coward. She is one of the many girls who accuse others of being witches, though she knows it is wrong, she continues to cover up her faults with lies. Mary Warren finally accuses John Proctor of witchcraft in Act IV because she is a coward and does not want to take the blame for the hysteria she has helped to create. In Act IV Mary Warren is afraid of Abigail, so she points the finger at John Proctor to keep Abby from accusing her of being a witch who is very vulnerable and easily persuaded.

“Nobody, but he who has felt it, can conceive what a plaguing thing it is to have a man’s mind torn asunder by two projects of equal strength, both obstinately pulling in a contrary direction at the same time (Laurence Sterne).” In The Crucible, playwright Arthur Miller wrote the character of Mary Warren to be coerced into two differing conflicts driven by her obligations and influences in acts two and three, just as Sterne’s quote describes. Throughout the play, the character of Mary Warren was pulled by the compelling influences and obligations put on her by John Proctor and Abigail Williams; this relates to the theme of power and what people do for it that was presented throughout the play. Furthermore, in acts two and three Mary Warren was obligated to help John Proctor get Elizabeth out of jail.

Arthur Miller in his article, “Why I Wrote The Crucible,” identifies his motives for creating The Crucible as a political allegory for the Second Red Scare and McCarthyism by making correspondences between the two time periods. Both the Salem witch trials and the Second Red Scare share similar factors and origins which developed each society into a place of hysteria. Mob mentalities rooted in fear gave the people reason to throw away their reason and follow public norms to put suspects on trial. The wrongfully convicted were urged to name others guilty of the same crime and continued false accusations which further perpetuated the trials. The absolutism of the courts caused many of the innocent to be assumed guilty by simple association or some false

The Downfall of Salem In this world there are many different types of people such as those who follow and those who lead. The Crucible by Arthur Miller has four different categories of people; the liars, the power-mongering, the rebellious and the ignorant. The play is used to display the conflicts of the Salem Witch Trials with these four factions constantly opposing each other. Only to discover who is in the confines of the Devil’s keep and who is under the will of God.

“The Crucible” contains many themes, but the most prominent theme in the play shows that fear and suspicion destroys a community. The character, events, and literary devices used in “The Crucible” help to prove this theme. This theme shows its ugly face many times throughout the story and the fear, along with the suspicion, make the characters in the story act strangely. When the characters act strange, the events in the play intense and interesting to the reader. The literary devices used assist the story’s way the reader feels throughout the story.

The Crucible by Arthur Miller is set in Salem, a small town in Massachusetts Bay in colonial America. As Puritans, the people of Salem were faithful, but close-minded and judgmental; they believed they were to be a “City on a Hill”. The more negative qualities of the people of Salem caused them to believe that the darker side of their faith—witches and demons— were always walking among them. Additionally, the Puritans’ strict and conservative faith led to the suppression of “sinful” feelings such as lust and violence. The fact that the people of Salem had no process for washing away sins, thus letting hypocrisy fester and grow, was one of the major causes of the Salem witch trials.

Arthur Miller’s inspiration for his play The Crucible resulted from his observation of the repetition of “witch trials" throughout history. All of these witch-hunts, especially the one that occurred in Salem, were bred from the political and social repression present in the communities. This communal repression influenced a hypocritical mindset, which then prompted some individuals to manipulate others’ fear in order to gain a breath of personal freedom. Through comparing the Red Scare to the trials of Salem and analyzing the repetitive nature of these horrific acts, Miller emphasizes the idea that it is human nature for people to turn to the manipulation of fear in order to liberate themselves from their present reality.

“The Salem tragedy, which is about to being in these pages, developed from a paradox. It is a paradox in whose grip we still live, and there is no prospect yet that we will discover its resolution.” -Arthur Miller (Act I) In the early 1690’s of Salem, Massachusetts, a disorganized, panic-driven investigation was undergone within, and for, the people of Salem, intended to weed out what was believed to be devil’s work, and resulting in nearly 200 citizens accused of partaking in witchery and the unlawful hangings of 20. In the novel, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, the acts of hysteria and lying to protect oneself are portrayed in Acts II and III of the novel to convey social issues that negatively affect the stability of a society.

The Salem witch trials were a series of court trials held during the colonial times in Salem Village, Massachusetts. Up to twenty people were executed by hanging after being accused of witchcraft. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a play that retells the stories of the Salem witch trials while incorporating some a few of Miller’s imaginative ideas. One of the major driving forces in The Crucible is coveting a good name because in the town of Salem, one’s good name holds him at a high status and ties in to his credibility. With that, reputation has proven to be a vital theme in the play, shown by John Proctor’s actions in court and Reverend Parris’ fear of a tarnished name.

Everywhere someone looks, he or she is able to see the effects of mob mentality at play. It is in the instincts of humans to follow the crowd and to be accepted by others. Such simple and fun events, such as a football game, can quickly change into a violent riot because of a simple action from one person. Fear and the greed for power are key ingredients that motivate mob mentality. The right individual can control an entire society’s mentality.