Topic > How Hysteria Ruins the Town of Salem in The Crucible

No one would think that a false rumor, caused by hysteria, would end up ruining an entire town. This happened to the town of Salem, in a book called The Crucible. Hysteria is an exaggerated emotion among a group of people. The hysteria caused panic among the residents of Salem and they accused each other of witchcraft, even though it was false. The hysteria evolves at the beginning of the play where Reverend Parris catches Abigail, Betty and Tituba dancing with their friends in a forest. Parris becomes suspicious very quickly as Betty falls ill soon after this event. People start to think they practiced witchcraft because no one knows why Betty won't wake up. People start to become suspicious and their suspicion leads to hysteria. Eventually, when people are thrown into prison, they begin to admit to witchcraft, even if they have never encountered it. They do it to escape death, because it was close to their future. In The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, hysteria ruins the town of Salem, demonstrated by Abigail, Tituba, and Mary Warren. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay In the Crucible, Abigail is the reason for the panic throughout society. He lies to the court and accuses innocent people of witchcraft. Witchcraft is punishable by death or imprisonment during the Puritan period, so it is ruining innocent lives. She doesn't want to be questioned about her actions, so she blames others. An example in the first act occurred when Parris approaches her and Tituba. Abigail immediately starts blaming Tituba. She makes people believe her when she says, “She sends her spirit upon me in Church; she/she makes me laugh in prayer.” Lying that Tituba controls her makes people think that Tituba is a witch. Tituba is not a witch, but she is accused because Abigail convinces everyone that she is. He creates hysteria throughout society because of his lies. Another example of Abigail creating hysteria throughout society occurs in court when she acts as if Mary Warren is controlling her. Mary Warren denies being one, but Abigail pretends to be controlled by Mary. Abigail says, “Oh, / Mary, this is a black art to change your shape. No, I can't, I can't shut my mouth; it is God's work that I do.” Acting this way in court makes her colleagues think she is controlled. This creates hysteria among his peers, because everyone believes in his act. Abigail lies to everyone, but everyone believes the unreal things she says. Abigail is the main reason hysteria spreads throughout Salem. In The Crucible, Tituba, who accompanies Abigail, is involved in creating hysteria. Abigail gets the idea from her to accuse innocent people of witchcraft. Tituba, once accused, accepts the accusation and acts as if she is communicating with the Devil, but in the end she honestly believes she can talk to him. In Act 4, when he is in prison, he is talking to a man named Herrick. He offers to talk to the Devil for Herrick, which shows that he thinks he can talk to the Devil. When someone can talk to the Devil, it means they are a witch in this time period. He says, “I will speak to him for you, if you wish / Come with me, Marshal.” Asking Herrick if he wants her to talk to the Devil for him shows that she isn't thinking straight and isn't convinced she's a witch. During the same conversation, Tituba says, “Take me home, Devil! / Take me home!”. Talking to the devil shows that Tituba is under the influence of hysteria. Tituba is struck by the hysteria created by Abigail. In The Crucible, Mary Warren demonstrates that hysteria is present between her and society while she is in court. In Act 3, when she is asked to demonstrate.