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Mass Hysteria In The Crucible Essay

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As Arthur Miller once stated,“there is prodigious fear in seeking loose spirits.” The theme that the tragedy fiction play, The Crucible, displays is hysteria and desire leads to unconscious consequences. As conveyed throughout the play, hysteria is most clearly observed in the villagers' illogical acceptance of the girls’ claims of witchcraft. Specifically, Act III depicts the idea of mass hysteria devastating the community when the afflicted girls led by Abigail, accuse Mary Warren of witchcraft for testifying against them. Furthermore, several people including Mary Warren have indicated that the witchcraft accusations are false yet the court refuses to be persuaded.
Arthur Miller’s play the Crucible was an exaggeration of the Salem witch …show more content…
I hear the boot of Lucifer, I see his filthy face! And it is my face, and yours, Danforth! For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as you quail now when you know in all your black hearts that this be fraud—God damns our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together! (Proctor, Act III).” Here, John Proctor indicates the fact of the evil going around the village was not Satan but instead the people who did not step up to tell the truth. Specifically, when John Proctor states, “God damns our kind especially, and we will burn, we will burn together!” Here, John Proctor portrays the message of false accusations and as a village everyone is going to suffer together.
Overall, wherever hysteria occurs, it influences a misrepresentation of truth and false accusations causing communities to rip apart. As portrayed in the play The Crucible, mass hysteria is the main conflict that sparked up false accusations of witchcraft throughout the play. Consequently, executing and punishing innocent individuals as a result of the lies the afflicted girls led by Abigail emphasized to the court. In conclusion, an individual does not gain any triumph by spreading rumors that will consequently lead not mass hysteria and punishment of innocent

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