Mental Illness In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

The ideas of witchcraft were started during 1692 in the Puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts. Many Puritans said the doings of either God or Satan lead to the events that occurred in Salem. For no valid reason the hangings of at least nineteen people occurred. Examining the idea that mental illness was not dormant during the time period of The Crucible, it is possible to demonstrate the idea that witchcraft accusations may have been fallacious. Even though mental illness may have been the cause, some Puritans might have just followed what everyone else was doing. Neighboring on the thoughts that witchcraft accusations were fallacious, most physicians believe mental illness was present during the Salem Witch Trials. One of the most common mental illnesses is schizophrenia; most of the symptoms include hallucinations and delusions. The individuals who called themselves witches often said they went to meetings in the woods to converse with Satan or the devil. Psychologists however think they were just in a comatose state. Poisons or powders likewise played a major role in what caused hallucinations because LSDs were most likely in the powders that the witches used on themselves. In addition to the hallucinations caused by

“Betty Parris, aged ten, is lying on the bed, inert.” (Miller, 3) The unconscious daughter of Reverend Parris exemplifies how epilepsy left untreated can lead to Betty’s state. “He [the doctor] cannot discover no medicine for it in his books.” (Miller, 9) As explained before, the resources were very limited and there was not much knowledge in those times. During act three, Abigail and Susanna Walcott saw a yellow bird in the rafters. All the other people who were present in the building said the girls pretended to see it. It could also mean that they were just hallucinating because of