Flavia Chavarria Klaric

English
11
th
Blue
10/6/13
What role does hysteria play in The Crucible?


Arthur Miller, the author of the crucible bases his play on hypocrisy, betrayal,
obstinacy and deception, and the result is mass hysteria. Hysteria is the behavior
exhibiting excessive or uncontrollable emotion, such as fear or panic manifested
by large groups or segments of society. This is clear through the whole play, and
that is why I believe hysteria has a major role. It is the consequence of every
dishonest action the people in the village took, and the reason of many deaths.
Hysteria is mainly the consequence of deception. The girls, acting as cowards
and Abigail, manipulating things to her favor silently agree to twist the truth as it
was showing itself. Naturally, we tend to believe what the majority says, so after
twenty girls mimicked each other the entire village was deceived and half of it,
unreasonably killed in the middle of panic and desperation to exterminate evil.
Hypocrisy also causes the hysteria that invaded Salem. Parris only cared for his
reputation, not for the good of the village as he was claiming. Reverent Parris did
not act as a man of God, but pretended he was and agreed with everything
Abigail said. This girl pretended she was good and innocent, when in reality she
was falsely accusing and manipulating her community to get with his own way.
Their decisions cost the lives of many in the end.
Betrayal was too the cause of the witch hunt. If the girls who falsely accused
their own neighbors had been owners of more loyalty than egoism, Abigail would
have never been listened. The girls betrayed Tituba, and Tituba betrayed two
other women to avoid whipping. The girls took advantage of that and betrayed
almost everyone that crossed their mind and other started accusing their
neighbors to get their lands. If that is not Hysteria, then I dont know what could
be and in the middle of it, people were killed.
Obstinacy is present since the girls started lying. Salems habitants and figures
of power find themselves mulish to believe what best suits them. Some believed
to get more lands, others to get revenge and the rest simply because it was
easier. The entire village was blind to the truth and frenetic to kill the falsely
accused, they wouldnt even let them prove they were innocent.
Deception, hypocrisy, betrayal and obstinacy have as a consequence the mass
Hysteria the invaded Salem with witches, devils and death. All four of them are
present since the beginning and make of hysteria a major part and theme of the
play.