Theme Of Hysteria In The Crucible

The Crucible by Arthur Miller is mainly about the hysteria around the eruption of the witchcraft trials that took place in Salem in 1692. Salem was a peaceful ordinary town until it was destroyed by the chaos resulted from the wrongful allegations of Salem citizens for witchcraft. The crucible demonstrates how individuals driven by their motivations can spread hysteria with the rest of the society to release their repressed resentments. Miller cleverly created a climate of hysteria to show how paranoia and fear that dominant his characters can escalate. Driven by their hidden desires, young people started performing cunning rituals, which gradually became a superstitious tradition to reach their goals. A number of characters in the play, like …show more content…
He is portrayed from the very beginning of the play as a near fifty hard-handed landowner who has a “vindictive nature [that] was demonstrated long before the witch-craft began”(14). Accusing others of witchcraft helped Putnam to add to his wealth by buying their lands at lower prices. This is revealed when Giles Corey, a successful farmer, uncovers Putnam's real intentions to get more land “This man is killing his neighbors for their land!”(96). Therefore, Putnam uses the hysteria that was going on in Salem for his own benefit. This is revealed when someone heard Putnam is telling his daughter that “she'd given him a fair gift of land” (96).This reflects Putnam's vengeful manipulative character as he is willing to accuse the innocents of witchcraft for land purchasing.
The climate of mass hysteria created by Miller in Salem was a fertile soil for all individuals to release their grudges and consequently to achieve their personal benefits. Hysteria has been used in the Crucible to achieve individual's desires while destroying others' lives. The crucible demonstrates how individuals driven by their motivations can spread hysteria with the rest of the society to release their repressed