The Effects Of Hysteria In The Crucible - 1489 Words

When analyzing someone s behavior and thoughts a countless number of elements can be accounted for. Hysteria is a major leader in past and present day society when it comes to how people act and think in different situations. The Crucible provides great examples with how hysteria can affect a group of people. Back in Salem, Massachusetts 1692, hysterics swept the town, creating storms of emotion. Everyone is wondering, what to do? What to think? In The Crucible, Arthur Miller uses the effects of mass hysteria to reveal his purpose of using it in his writing, how society at that time reacts to hysterics, and the consequences of these incoherences, which still appear in present-day. Writing tactics can be tough to implement when trying to†¦show more content†¦They simply deem the girls truthful and carry on with prolonging the dreadful trial. The reader is lead to visualize and place themselves in the character’s shoes to understand what was going through their minds at that time. The use of hysteria in Miller’s writing was to make the reader think and feel what the people of Salem may have been feeling. The Crucible shows great insight into how the people of Salem thought about themselves and others: that reputation was very important. Someone’s reputation shows everyone who that person is and how people perceive them. If one is to be extremely popular and seems kind to others, people will tend to gravitate towards them as friends. In contrast, someone is rude or mean and not known by numerous people, others will kick them to the side, and no one will try to talk to them due to their reputation. The characters in the play care about their reputation a great deal and want to protect it. In a critical review by Penelope Curtis, she stated, â€Å"[...] John Proctor s name and his goodness seem to come forward from their context and take on a more familiar twentieth-century meaning--or, perhaps, a generalized, simplified meaning--but by way of a recognizably modern device† (The Crucible, Curtis). John Proctor had an affair with Abigail Williams while his wife was sick and he does not want his name in the town to spoil. In order to preserve his name he tries toShow MoreRelatedThe Yellow Bird Spirit - analysis of Arthur Millers The Crucible play. Focuses on the yellow bird in Act II and how mass hysteria is achieved and the effects of such panic.1412 Words   |  6 PagesArthur Millers The Crucible. Miller brilliantly comments on human morals, authority, and mass hysteria. He parallels the events of Salem in 1600s to the blacklisting and the discrimination against those who were labeled as a communist in America during the 1950s. He proficiently shows how mass hysteria could sweep an entire community like a tsunami and erase all logical thought and rationality. Especially in the yellow bird scene during Act III, he portrays how mass hysteria is achieved and theRead MoreHysteria In The Crucible1474 Words   |  6 Pagess behavior and thoughts. Hysteria, uncontrollable emotion among groups, is a major leader in past and present day society when it come s to how people act and think in different situations. The Crucible provides great examples with how hysteria can affect a group of people. Back in Salem, Massachusetts 1692, hysterics swept the town, creating a storm of emotions. Everyone wondering, what to do? What to think? In The Crucible, Arthur Miller uses the effects of mass hysteria to reveal his purpose ofRead MoreExamples Of Hysteria In The Crucible1095 Words   |  5 Pages Hysteria is displayed by communities all over the world. It is an important factor in making and especially breaking relationships. In The Crucible, a play by Arthur Miller, hysteria plays an important role of tearing apart the community of Salem by creating an environment where people act on their grudges. It is shown by many of the characters throughout the play as they eventually ruin one another as the book goes on. Mass hysteria negatively affects the lives of people around us. Many thingsRead MoreTheme Of Mass Hysteria In The Crucible1032 Words   |  5 Pagesâ€Å"It is a providence the thing is out now! It is a providence† (Miller 19). At the beginning of Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, Thomas Putnam, a greedy farmer incites the outset of mass hysteria in Salem, Massachusetts by convincing the villagers that witchcraft is being practiced by those in their midst. Mass hysteria is defined in Witchcraft and Mass Hysteria in Terms of Current Psychological Theories as â€Å"a phenomenon that transmits collective illusions of threats, whether real or imaginary, throughRead MoreSummary Of The Crucible And The Red Scare828 Words   |  4 Pages1 A Crucible took place in 1692 when Abagail’s one little lie causes mass hysteria by lying about preforming witchcraft. She and her friends go into the woods to dance and wish for things they want to happen, Abagail wishes that Goody Proctor would die so she could have John Proctor to herself. However, Abagail lies about it and says that she saw someone else with the devil and everyone plays along to save their own skin. This relates to The Red Scare in 1950 when Joseph McCarthy lied about havingRead MoreHuman Nature Causing Mass Hysteria in The Crucible1139 Words   |  5 PagesHuman nature is a word describing our reactions to events, our own inner struggles, and our interaction with others, a tendency that every human has in common. (Human Nature in The Crucible) In, The Crucible, several of the characters are constantly feuding, not only among themselves but with the entire community as well. Many citizens spread ridiculous lies and rumors accusing innocent people of being â€Å"under the influence† of the devil. The people of Salem fall victim to an eruption of deliriumRead MoreHow Does Fear and Hysteria Play a Significant Role in Creating and Driving the Conflict and the Chaotic Events That Take Place in Arthur Millers the Crucible?1450 Words   |  6 Pagesfear and hysteria play a significant role in creating and driving the conflict and the chaotic events that take place in Arthur Miller’s ‘ The Crucible’? Fear is a distressing emotion aroused by impending danger, evil or pain, whether the threat is real or imagined.1 It causes feelings of dread and apprehension. Fear can lead to hysteria- a condition where community wide fear overwhelms logic and ends up justifying its own existence. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, fear and hysteria are the foundationRead MoreArthur Millers The Crucible In connection to McCarthyism1620 Words   |  7 Pagesaccusations of communism led to a nation-wide hysteria and fear of who was going to be named next. When this was over, the hope would be that nothing like it would ever happen again and nothing like it had ever happened before. However, we have not only repeated it on various occasions, but through Arthur Millers The Crucible, we also see the parallel of the event with the Salem Witch hunts that took place years before the hearings. The connection between The Crucible and the McCarthy Hearings is not an isolatedRead MoreThe Crucible By Arth ur Miller1355 Words   |  6 PagesArthur Miller during the 1950’s, and he proves his point through The Crucible, a play about the Salem Witch Trials. Miller attacks the red scare, which was a time of fear of communism growing in America, and proves the how similar the two events were, and how they are important. As a political allegory of the red scare, Miller’s relatively accurate comparison between the red scare and the Salem Witch Trials through The Crucible demonstrates the theme of subjective reality versus objective realityRead MoreMass Hysteria Essay1191 Words   |  5 PagesMass hysteria can strike anywhere, anytime. Mass hysteria is an illusion or condition that affects a group of people, and is caused by anxiety, fear or stress. It can sometimes put people at risk because in most cases, it makes people sick. Mass hysteria has a negative impact on people like it did on the people of Salem who were killed and locked away. The Crucible was one of many example s of how fear can cause mass hysteria and unfortunately there are many more. Fear causes mass hysteria and has