What Is Mass Hysteria In The Crucible

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Mass hysteria - a situation in which various people all suffer from similar hysterical symptoms. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, mass hysteria is a huge problem. In Salem, Massachusetts, a whole town forgets logic and reason when the Devil and his helpers possess a group of young girls. This causes fear to run through the town; anyone could be associated with the Devil! However, fear and worry are not the only emotions running through the town. Behind the fear and worry are hidden feelings that have been buried deep down and are finally having the opportunity to emerge. A person can only hold onto an emotion for so long before they have to let it out; and the people who could no longer keep themselves level are the people liable for …show more content…
Abigail believes that if she can get rid of Elizabeth, she will win over Proctor. “ You drank a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife.”(Miller pg). Abigail is under the impression that there is still a chance for her and Proctor to be together because he never gave her any reason to believe otherwise. Instead of letting her go he holds on to the past by visiting her window regularly. His actions give her hope, which mainly led to her desire to get rid of his wife. The way she went about it was ultimately the root cause for mass hysteria in Salem. John Proctor prioritizes his reputation over his integrity. “ Abby’ll charge lechery on you...,” (Miller 84). “ She’ll ruin you with it, I know she will.” (Miller 85) Proctor knows that the group of girls is lying, they are only following Abigail’s lead. At the beginning of the play, Abigail tells Proctor that they were only dancing in the woods and that the girls were scared of getting into trouble. But to be able to share the knowledge that she reveals to him, he would have to risk putting himself in the danger of blackening his name. This is why Proctor waits until the very last minute to acknowledge the truth. However, by then it is too late. The accused are being sentenced to death, and the damage is already done. He waited too long. If Proctor tried harder in his relationship with his wife, he would not have felt the need to turn to Abigail. “ It …show more content…
In the beginning of the play Abigail keeps all the girls from telling the truth. “ Now you look. All of you. … Let either of you breathe a word… I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you,” (Miller 20). At first, Abigail scares the girls into being her little puppets. She uses them to help her make the people that are accused look guilty. She even goes against one of her friends , Mary Warren, to do what is necessary to keep the truth hidden. Eventually, the others begin to lose themselves in the lies as well, and easily the power is all in Abigail’s hands. However, when Abigail is close to getting caught, she passes all the blame to Tituba. “ I never called him! Tituba, Tituba…,” (Miller 44). In this scene, Abigail backs Tituba into a corner. Tituba’s words are not enough to defend herself; she is just a slave woman without authority from Barbados. The only option she has at a chance of living is if she confesses, so that is what she does. If someone admits to working with the Devil, it is only reasonable to assume that they know who the other helpers are. This eventually leads to the long list of the accused. Once Abigail realizes the power that Tituba has she takes advantage of the moment. “ I want to open myself,” (Miller 50). “ I saw Goody Sibber with the Devil!... I saw Goody Hawkins with the Devil!... I saw Goody Booth with the
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