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Mass Hysteria In The Crucible And Night

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Aiden Sanderson Mrs Ritchey CP English II 16 June 2023 Many different stories share common themes, such as the search for gratification, inescapability of death, meaning of life, sense of curiosity, and inevitability of isolation. Mass hysteria is an outbreak of lots of people at the same time, usually having mental symptoms come along with it, mainly being fear, anxiety, and depression. In The Crucible and Night, everyone is hysterical about World War II and the Salem Witch Trials. The theme of mass hysteria reveals itself through the trials and feelings of the villagers in The Crucible and the reactions and feelings of the inmates in the camps and death marches in Night. Mass hysteria occurred in Salem due to the trials, this made everyone think they were going to be arrested and killed, and …show more content…

At the beginning of Act 1, Abby, Betty, Mary, Ruth, and other girls go into the forest and dance. Later in the Act, Betty and Ruth are both sick, everyone tells Parris and the Putnam’s to turn to witchcraft for a diagnosis, which is when the hunt starts. While speaking to Abby about being afraid that people might think everyone who was in the forest that night are witches, Mary hysterically states, “I just come from the farm, the whole country‘s talking witchcraft! They‘ll be callin‘ us witches, Abby! Abby, we‘ve got to tell. Witchery‘s a hangin‘ error, a hangin‘ like they done in Boston two years ago! We must tell the truth, Abby!—you‘ll only be whipped for dancin‘, and the other things!,” (Miller 5). This quote reveals the theme of mass hysteria because it shows how scared Mary is of being caught, because she might be killed, because everyone else is afraid of witchcraft existing, and wanting to wipe all witchcraft out of Salem. Not only is the theme of mass hysteria found in The

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