Throughout history, there have been multiple periods of mass hysteria or extreme actions and reactions due to extreme emotions. Mass hysteria is harmful because it forces others to admit to crimes they did not commit, and it allows people to take advantage of the situation at hand to rise to power. The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a great example of this and it is an allegory for McCarthyism, or the false accusations and investigations made against someone. The Crucible is based on the real events of the late 17th century that the Puritans of Salem, Massachusetts had to deal with. They were paranoid of the supernatural, and because of their strict religious beliefs and the vengeance that plagued the town, mass hysteria spread quickly. This led to the unjust hangings of innocent people and the fear that this too would happen to …show more content…
The spread of mass hysteria is due to the irrational fears ingrained in the minds of the Puritans, which were formed primarily because of Tituba and Mary Warren’s lies. Tituba’s false confession led to the initial belief that Salem was indeed suffering at the hands of witchcraft, and Mary Warren’s sudden breaking off from the Devil and claim that John Proctor was forcing her to work with the Devil further proved that there were people in Salem betraying God. This may seem reasonable, but there was a lack of evidence and proper investigation that took place, which led people to jump to conclusions as a way of getting the matter under control. The Crucible can be connected to the McCarthyism of the 50s, where American Senator Joseph McCarthy accused many government workers (without proof) of being part of the Communist Party, which led them to be put on a blacklist. McCarthy’s accusations caught the attention of Americans since many were afraid of the government being overthrown by communists, and this only worsened the mass hysteria at