Fear has become part of humanity as humans evolve over time. Since the beginning of time humans have always been feared of the unknown. This fear of the unknown has given humans a drive to progress to be better. In the past there have been societies that take wrongful advantage of this fear by creating mass hysteria by religious, political, and social activities such as the Puritans in Salem. The famous play The Crucible by Arthur Miller demonstrates this mass hysteria which has led people of Salem in wrongful accusations and death of twenty individual citizens of Salem for witchcraft. According to the play this outbreak of fear in Salem has caused delusions of fear which has turned into a mass hysteria, a mixture of anxiety. This mass hysteria has led them to use this in fear as a tool in personal gain; it is also used towards political gain, and revenge. …show more content…
Putnam is a wealthy land owner who is always blaming others for witchcraft, so he can acquire their land for cheap. The truth cannot be hidden for long; since Giles Corey a well known and respected farmer of Salem knew the truth about Putnam while he was trying to save his wife in court for witchcraft. Apparently Giles never spoke of a name in order to support his claim about Putnam. At the beginning of Act three Giles says “I have evidence for the court!…Thomas Putnam is out for land!”(84). While Giles has pointed his finger on Putnam for stealing lands of his neighbors, is asked to provide proof of this statement. At the end of Act three one can notice Giles is going to Judge Danforth directly about his accusations on
When a community gets so caught up and engulfed in the hysteria surrounding them they will be ravaged and ripped apart. In the Crucible Arthur Miller shows the effects of terror on the town of Salem Massachusetts by showing the role that hysteria has in deconstructing a person's common sense and ability to recognize what is true and what is a lie. The town of Salem is entirely consumed by the effects of hysteria surrounding witchcraft. Hysteria put a fog over their eyes and had the townspeople and the court believing that their neighbors, the people they have known their whole lives, were capable of witchcraft.
Thomas Putnam 's loss of inheritance and authority instigates his desire to punish fellow community members. Putnam reveals himself as a "man with many grievances" (13) and shows that his "vindictive nature was demonstrated long before witchcraft began" (14). Prior to the witchcraft trials, Putnam experiences multiple personal conflicts that created a fiery desire for vengeance. These conflicts include the community failing to recognize his land inheritance and selecting Parris as minister over his brother-in-law. Although the alleged perpetrators in these events had little involvement in his diminished stature, Putnam concludes that "his own name and the honor of this family had been smirched by the village", which caused him to "right matters
Hysteria, paranoia, and delusion was what drove the Salem Witch trials in 1692. Many people were executed by decision of the court because it believed in absurd false allegations. Justice in the court was perverted by fear and delusion (Johnson 9). In the 1940s and 1950s, many people in the United States were living in fear of communism; similar to those who feared “witches” in Salem. In the 1953, Arthur Miller came out with a play: The Crucible based on the Salem Witch Trials tackling McCarthyism; accusing others of being communists trying to overthrow democracy in the United States (9-10).
Reverend Hale tries to defend the innocent, but Hathorne take Samuel’s side. Danforth decides to take Samuels advice and ends up calling Giles. When Giles is told to show evidence that George Jacobs is a false
Research Essay Fear can occur when a person has a feeling of threat or danger and sometimes harm or anxiety for oneself or another. Fear can often influence a person to take extreme measures and act irrationally. For instance there are a number of parallels between the treatment of of the accused during the Salem Witch Trials and the treatment of Muslims after 9/11 ; In both cases, people were being belittled and downgrading, and society was in a state of grief and shock and it all resulted in discrimination of the accused. Almost each person in Salem wanted vengeance for various reasons due to that people who were accused of witchcraft were constantly belittled and did not have a fair chances during the trials In Salem.
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.
¶“A man may think God sleeps, but God sees everything, I know it now. I beg you, sir, I beg you—see her what she is . . . She thinks to dance with me on my wife 's grave! And well she might, for I thought of her softly. God help me, I lusted, and there is a promise in such sweat.
The Crucible Essay The theme of hysteria is evident throughout Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and in everyday life and society. Driven by self-preservation, hysteria influences many characters’ actions and leads to the devastating witch trials in Salem. For instance, many characters in The Crucible are driven to execute drastic actions to sustain their reputation and protect themselves.
What is fear? Fear is an unpleasant emotion caused by the belief of someone or something is dangerous, likely to cause pain or threat. In my own words fear is a feeling people get when someone is going to kill them. But not all fear is bad because some people feel fear differently How is fear used in “The Crucible” ?
John Proctor and Thomas Putnam: Alike? Noah Headley In Arthur Miller's renowned play, "The Crucible," two significant characters, John Proctor and Thomas Putnam, emerge with contrasting personalities and motivations that shape their actions and impact the events in the story. While both men reside in Salem and play crucial roles in the witch trials, their approaches and objectives diverge significantly. This essay will compare and contrast John Proctor and Thomas Putnam, shedding light on their similarities and differences, and provide evidence from the novel to support these assertions.
The play illustrates how hysteria can lead to the breakdown of social order and how individuals can be swept up in the madness, losing sight of reality. The abuse of power is also demonstrated through the actions of characters such as Judge Danforth, who use their positions of authority to manipulate and control others. The concept of truth is also explored, as the characters grapple with the difficulty of discerning what is true in a world where lies and deception abound. Miller's play serves as a warning against the dangers of unchecked hysteria and the corrupting influence of power. By examining the Salem Witch Trials, Miller highlights the potential for individuals and societies to succumb to irrationality and the devastating consequences that can result.
Fear that spread among a group of people in Salem during the Salem Witch Trials, that event in history is a prime example of Mass Hysteria. In Salem the reason why so many women were killed was because of Mass Hysteria. It caused many people, in Salem during this event to think fast, rash and jump to conclusions. “The Crucible”, a short play dedicated to these events in Salem shows us how hysteria was such a leading cause of why the Witch Trials had even occurred. Reverend Hale, Abigail Williams and Judge Danforth.
I have seen too many frightful proofs in court - the Devil is alive in Salem, and we dare not quail to follow wherever the accusing finger points!” (Hale, Act 2) Hale proves the mindset of the characters affected by hysteria and fear. In his arguments it's more hysteria than
The people of Salem were essentially engulfed by the fear of witches, causing them to behave in many irrational ways. Although mass hysteria affected these fictional characters, its effects are all too real in life today. Such effects include the aftermath that followed the September 11th terrorist attacks. One thing both The Crucible and post 9/11 have in common: they feared the unknown.
The play, The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller demonstrates the implications of a society in complete chaos over an irrational fear of witchcraft in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. Fear plays an immense role in the way people make their decisions, such as when the characters of Danforth and Mary Warren resort to hypocrisy when no other options remain. Danforth and Mary Warren both embody hypocrisy, as seen when Mary says she cannot lie anymore and then lies when she becomes scared for her life, and Danforth when saying lying will send a person to Hell, but then forcing people to choose between lying and death. Mary Warren exemplifies hypocrisy extraordinarily well in the scene when she and Proctor travel to the courthouse so she can confess that the girls have pretended everything and they never actually saw spirits.