Theme Of Mass Hysteria In The Crucible

Words: 404
Pages: 2
Open Document
The Grip of Fear
‘You block your dream when you allow your fear to grow bigger than your faith’
- Mary Manin Morrissey
In The Crucible, through hysteria, characters are falsely accused of being involved in witchcraft, much like the man hunt for anyone resembling a communist from the McCarthyism era.
‘The Crucible’ is a play based on the 17th century Salem witch hunts. It is also a parable for the events in McCarthy’s era. The play is about people who are wrongly accused of helping the devil. ‘The Crucible’ was written by Arthur Miller and was first [performed in 1953, New York. It is set in a puritanical society where the people believe in hard work and little luxury. Their life is based around God, the bible and the ‘Ten Commandments.’ Pride …show more content…
One example is at the end of act one when the girls are screaming, crying and starting to accuse people of being with the devil. When this happens, everyone gets scared and calls the marshal. The marshal begins to arrest people and brings them to court. The whole reason mass hysteria broke out is because of Abigail. One vengeful accusation from Abigail to her rival, Elizabeth Proctor, turns the whole village upside. The confusion and madness is one of the main reasons a place where reasonable human became released in an environment that allows little opportunity for relaxing. Another theme during the play is how much religion ruled these people’s lives. The court was the main ruling body of justice and was run by the church. The concept of justice in 1962 is shown when Arthur Miller dedicates the entire third act to the courtroom. Abigail pressures the girls to lie in court in order to accuse everyone that they didn’t get along with of witchcraft. The separation of church and government didn’t exist in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts. Theocracy meant that Massachusetts. Theocracy meant that Massachusetts was to be governed by god’s law. But mixing up on the laws of god and the laws of government set up the chaos of the Salem witch trials. Greed and revenge was another major aspect that was shown in the story. Several characters find profit in this mass hysteria and try to change some events for their own
Show More

Related Documents: Theme Of Mass Hysteria In The Crucible

Is The Crucible Still Relevant Essay

weight," he says. And died.”- Giles Corey (Miller 135) This quote from The Crucible,by Arthur Miller, displays an act of authentic valor by a man accused of witchcraft. While the play is a heart-rending, emotional performance, it’s purpose in the world is greatly controversial. Two articles providing information on this controversy are, “The Crucible” by Brooks Atkinson and, “ The 21st Century Crucible: Why ‘The Crucible’ is Still Relevant” by Emily Rose Lathrop. Although many individuals view the…

Words 474 - Pages 2

Role Of Psychology In The Crucible

Human psychology; a broad and somewhat of an unknown entity in itself to this day. An even greater unknown entity within Arthur Miller’s play, “The Crucible”. Throughout time, a general idea about the human psyche has been developed which can be applied to this case. Within the play, a multitude of psychological themes are revealed; these include mass hysteria, societal…

Words 269 - Pages 2

Crubile 1 Essay

the Crucible was written by Arthur Miller during an era known as McCarthyism. McCarthyism was a search, or “witch hunt”, led by Senator Joe McCarthy, for Communists in the United States Government during the nineteen-fifties. This “witch hunt” indirectly shed light upon “...one of the strangest and most awful chapters in human history”: The Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692. The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is a drama of the true story which took place during the seventeenth century. In The Crucible…

Words 671 - Pages 3

Examples Of Hysteria In The Crucible

In the play, The Crucible, Arthur Miller writes about the chilling story of the Salem Witch Trials. He portrays what happened during that time and how it affected the people living there. Though Miller has many messages within the play, one of the main themes is “hysteria”. Hysteria is exaggerated or uncontrollable emotion among a group of people. . The play shows how hysteria can tear a community apart and completely replace logic. In The Crucible this message of hysteria is clearly seen through…

Words 611 - Pages 3

The Crucible Hysteria

The Salem Fear Trials Throughout history, humanity has seen numerous accounts of hysteria spread amongst others creating an illogical and irrational society, ultimately resulting in havok. This sense of irrationality was responsible for the 400 deaths that took place during the Dancing Plague of 1518. In this historical example of mass hysteria, began with a woman believed to be named Frau Troffea who suddenly had the urge to dance. Records state that she danced for about a week, and before long…

Words 1267 - Pages 6

Hysteria In The Crucible Essay

Hysteria means losing control of what we think is rational and righteous. To put is differently, hysteria is a state where a person’s emotions, especially fear, are so potent that a person may behave in an uncontrolled way. This image portrays the meaning of the theme hysteria. Based on my understanding, the other individuals in the picture, besides the man and the woman, are accusing the woman of something she didn’t do. Because of fear, the man, probably her husband, is protecting her from the…

Words 690 - Pages 3

How Does Arthur Miller Use Mass Hysteria In The Crucible

exceptional work ‘The Crucible’ manages to do. The text is based in a puritan colony in Salem, Massachusetts, in the late seventeenth century. The play explores the true story about the witch trials which occurred during this time period. Within the theocratic government of Salem, several young girls falsely claim to be tormented by spirits and accuse people of the town, this leads to a cycle of false confession and accusations of witchcraft. Ultimately the town is engulfed in mass hysteria leading to the…

Words 212 - Pages 1

Cheyanne Pento1 Essay

The Crucible Arthur Miller’s book, “The Crucible” was written during the 1950s during the time of McCarthyism. Arthur Miller was strongly influenced by the events that came during the McCarthy era and the Crucible was a result. “Miller stated that as he witnessed the growing hysteria of the late 1940s and 1950s concerning Communist fears, he was drawn to the stories of similar irrational fears and judgments of the 1692 witch trials. He drew parallels between each era's paranoia and hysteria.” (life123…

Words 904 - Pages 4

Scapegoating In The Crucible Essay

Scapegoating The Crucible by Arthur Miller explores multiple themes throughout the story to further the action. Arguably the most important of these themes that Miller uses is scapegoating. To scapegoat is to blame an innocent person for wrongdoings especially out of spite or expediency. Arthur Miller uses scapegoating as he parallels the Salem witch hunts of the 1690s to the Red Scare and McCarthyism in the United States in the 1950s. There are many obvious cases of scapegoating that occur in the…

Words 631 - Pages 3

The Crucible Ignorance And Fear

the essential questions today is regarding how fear, suspicion, and ignorance cause changes in behavior. In The Crucible, fear played a key role in the witch trials. This is true for all sides in this situation. The judges were afraid to be wrong and allow a witch to be loose in the village. The citizens of Salem were scared of witches, or being accused as one. This mass fear and hysteria led to the horrific trials where people were hanged based upon little to no evidence. This isn’t the only time…

Words 341 - Pages 2