The Spread Of Hysteria In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

In the play The Crucible, Arthur Miller critiques the sociopolitical aspects of the spread of hysteria in both the Salem witch trials and the Red Scare in 20th century America. Set in Salem during the 1600s, the play examines the lives of Salem residents when accusations of witchcraft appear in their village. Reputation, disputes between characters, and religious power further accelerate the building of conflict between the residents of Salem. Characters in The Crucible fret over their reputations because they fear being charged with witchcraft or being looked down upon in the community. The character of Reverend Parris reveals this aspect of fear in Salem. In Act I of the play, Thomas Putnam asks his wife if she has requested Reverend Hale’s presence in Salem. Parris responds with, “Thomas, Thomas, I pray you, leap not to witchcraft. I know that you—you least of all, Thomas, would ever wish so disastrous a charge laid upon me. We cannot leap to witchcraft. They will howl me out of Salem for such corruption in my house” (Miller 1133). This mentality in Parris triggers an argument between him and John

In the dramatic exposition within Act I, for example, Miller explains a land dispute between Francis Nurse and his neighbors, including Thomas Putnam (1141). This explains the heated discussion about who to blame for the children falling ill later in Act I, in which Mrs. Putnam accuses Rebecca Nurse of killing all her newborn children. Abigail Williams’ loathing of Elizabeth Proctor throughout the play aggravates the hysteria created in Act I. During Act II, Abigail recruits Mary Warren to plant a poppet within the Proctor household to frame Elizabeth. This in turn causes Proctor to accuse Mary of framing his wife. Prior conflicts in Proctor’s life give him a fatal flaw that he must defend by turning on the Salem