Josh Mauzy
Dewhirst
Mod 5A
9/29/15
Group Hysteria
Irony, the incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result, is a reoccurring literary technique that Arthur Miller uses in The Crucible. The most eminent example of irony exhibited in this play is observed through the Puritan society that dominated in the late 1600s in Salem, Massachusetts. The word "Puritan" implies a virtuous connotation, however ironically, the reality of life at that time proved to be the polar opposite of rectitude. The Puritan society, a community blindfolded by its conviction that strict religious adherence is the only indicator of integrity and morality, created an environment that was prone to an eruption of turmoil. As a ripple effect of a corrupted society, the community of Salem broke into a delirium of hysteria, a focal theme in The Crucible. …show more content…
One of the most distinguished of those themes is hysteria; Arthur Miller displays the town of Salem as a community of chaos and impetuous obedience. The nature of the Puritan society aids in the progression of this theme because the core of hysteria stems from ignorance and suppression, dominant attributes present in the Puritan way of life. This is primarily shown in Act One of The Crucible when Tituba fires random accusations of witchcraft and Abigail follows as she attempts to find ways to deflect the blame from herself, pushed the town into an uproar of allegations: I want to open myself! I want the light of God, I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced for the Devil; I saw him; I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss his hand. I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil! (Miller 1.
Dewhirst
Mod 5A
9/29/15
Group Hysteria
Irony, the incongruity between the actual result of a sequence of events and the normal or expected result, is a reoccurring literary technique that Arthur Miller uses in The Crucible. The most eminent example of irony exhibited in this play is observed through the Puritan society that dominated in the late 1600s in Salem, Massachusetts. The word "Puritan" implies a virtuous connotation, however ironically, the reality of life at that time proved to be the polar opposite of rectitude. The Puritan society, a community blindfolded by its conviction that strict religious adherence is the only indicator of integrity and morality, created an environment that was prone to an eruption of turmoil. As a ripple effect of a corrupted society, the community of Salem broke into a delirium of hysteria, a focal theme in The Crucible. …show more content…
One of the most distinguished of those themes is hysteria; Arthur Miller displays the town of Salem as a community of chaos and impetuous obedience. The nature of the Puritan society aids in the progression of this theme because the core of hysteria stems from ignorance and suppression, dominant attributes present in the Puritan way of life. This is primarily shown in Act One of The Crucible when Tituba fires random accusations of witchcraft and Abigail follows as she attempts to find ways to deflect the blame from herself, pushed the town into an uproar of allegations: I want to open myself! I want the light of God, I want the sweet love of Jesus! I danced for the Devil; I saw him; I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss his hand. I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil! (Miller 1.