Hysteria And Paranoia In The Crucible

The witch trials of Salem is an infamous period of hysteria and paranoia, in which people chose fear over rationality. While many of the accusations were absurd, many are still victims of hysterical accusations, which occurs even today. The play, The Crucible, takes place in Salem, during the 1600 's, as the town is engulfed in the hysteria of witch hunts, which forces the audience to acknowledge the tendencies humans display, in similar situations. Arthur Miller uses his play, The Crucible, to criticize society, during the McCarthy era, of its irrational behaviour, by creating parallels of vengeful tendencies, hysteria and hypocrisy, both present in his society and within the play. The Salem witch trials and the McCarthy era is sometimes referred to as "the time of general-revenge", as people accused others for selfish purposes and out of vengeance. Mass hysteria overwhelms the common populace resulting in accusations and persecutions. However, while both eras had figures that claim they did it for the common good, …show more content…
The play replicates the outlook of the society, and depicts the danger of hysteria with the mob mentality. Many use the state of frenzy, to their self-benefit, to carry out their vengeance or rid themselves of any particular rivals. Arthur Miller juxtapositions these conditions to mimic the societal views, during the McCarthy era, to criticize society. He compares his society to a less technologically advanced community, to show the absurdity of the government 's actions, and to convey the frustration, of humans society succumbing to the same mistake, made by their predecessors. While, many take pride in human technological progression, the question remains, that if humanity will be able to emotional progress to a stable state of mind, resilient against the mob