Examples Of Mob Hysteria In The Crucible

In The Crucible (1953), Arthur Miller illustrates how mass hysteria of “witches” blinds the truth of fake acts of sorcery destroying religious purpose with the government laws. Laws of religion were broken when a bunch of girls went into the forest and dances around preaching for their wishes to be true to a woman named Tituba. Tituba did “witchcraft” to these girls as Reverend Parris finds the girls dancing around. Reverend Parris took the girls home and tell to some people about their selfish acts in the woods. The girls acts were not correct as the girls state that they were bewitched by Tituba.

Small pieces of information pass thru people’s minds everyday. But, imagine if, a huge group of people flagrantly reacted to one of the tiny pieces of information almost identically. Mass hysteria is exactly that, a group of people reacting over something small in a huge way. Mass hysteria is mostly caused by media interaction and human nature. This is shown in The Crucible by Arthur Miller.

I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil” (Miller, 1953, p.48). This quote proves how people were lying during the Salem Witch Trials to prevent themselves from being charged with witchcraft. It shows hysteria because people are going wild and arguments are being caused because they do not want to be charged with witchcraft. “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…” (Miller, 1953, p.77).

The definition of hysteria is exaggerated or uncontrollable emotion or excitement. The devil came to Salem in 1692, or did it? The Puritans believed that Salem had been conquered by witches. The girls began to name members of the surrounding community. They became hysterical.

The Crucible The term hysteria is defined as: exaggerated or uncontrollable emotion. In Author Miller’s, The Crucible, hysteria is exactly what happens. The Crucible takes place in Salam Massachusetts, in 1692. The plot is centered on the events of the Salam witch trials. The movie opens up with the young girls of Salam dancing around a fire.

In this scene, as E. Budick and James Douglas have also argued, the moral absolutism of the prosecution causes it to become the ally of the devil rather than his opponent.” Argument 2: The town of Salem putting all trust in faith, rather than reason, results in the false convictions of dozens of women of witchcraft. Ex. Primary Source 2

In this world, it is not the gentle rain that people will listen to, but thunder and lightning. The storm is what catches people’s attention, and it is the storm that is used by individuals to make others look at them. In my opinion, hysteria is a man-made storm prevalent throughout all of human history. People will use this hysteria for two major reasons, to gain power in the world, or to create change in it.

The growth of hysteria in America exemplifies people’s tendency to abuse newly-gained power and is supported by Americans’ intolerance of unpopular ideologies. During times of hysteria, one often show his or her true natures. Therefore, human nature can be most easily observed in such times. During times of hysteria, people exploited fear among the public to gain more power, which they abused.

In the play, The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, Elizabeth Proctor undergoes a major change from the beginning of the play through the end. Elizabeth in the beginning of the book is not really noticed because she was involved until Abigail tries to get John to leave her and go out with Abbigail. Once Elizabeth learned that Abbigail tried to take away John from her and Elizabeth was furious and this was when the change began to happen. In The Crucible the most recurring themes are accusation and confession, Miller shows that to much power given to others could lead to mass hysteria. The play The crucible by Arthur Miller tells the tales of how people got accused of witchcraft.

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!

Did you know that 24 innocent people were killed during the Salem witch trials? What people do in the past, no matter how insignificant, can affect their future. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Abigail Williams pretends to be possessed by Satan. Several town girls join in on this hoax and pretend to be possessed as well. The girls then started pointing fingers at men and women who they either do not like or would like to see imprisoned.

To create a wildfire something has to light a spark. The tragic truth is that people are that spark when it comes to creating a wildfire of chaos.   I believe that hysteria doesn't strike and grow on its own, something has to fuel it.  People incite violence and hysteria with their desire for power and self-preservation.

“Mass hysteria is a condition which affects a group of people, it is characterized by excitement, anxiety, irrational behavior, beliefs, or inexplicable symptoms of illness within said group.” The Crucible was written and published on January 22, 1953, as means of pointing out the utter insanity of the Communist Red Scare. In the events which partook in the Red Scare, an organization by the name of the House Un-American Activities Committee was formed in 1938 and led by Wisconsin Senator Joseph McCarthy, targeted and accused American citizens of being communists, most notably those who were successful. In The Crucible, I argue Mary Warren could have ended the mass hysteria in Salem by sticking to the truth, not taking Abigail’s threats seriously,

Twenty innocent people were falsely executed in Salem, Massachusetts, 1693. Everyone in the town was caught in the crossfire of accusations and allegations. Arthur Miller captures this mass hysteria perfectly through the tragic character John Proctor in his play, The Crucible. Throughout the play, this collective hysteria eclipses the morality and desire for truth involved in decision-making, ultimately leading to the death of the protagonist, John Proctor.

Mass Hysteria Humans have a tendency to want to fit in and belong, causing numerous problems in society. Throughout history, there have been various cases of mass hysteria within groups of individuals. For example, randomly meowing nuns in France and an entire town believing that at night a monkey man watched them. Several specialists believe the behavior has come about due to mass hysteria. Mass hysteria is delusional thoughts, rumors, and fears that spread quickly through a group of people.