The seeds of hysteria that are sown in The Crucible by Arthur Miller, are anger, fear, and panic. Hysteria is an uncontrollable emotion, like anger, among a group of people. Abigail WIlliams creates fear in act 1 by the strange behavior, everyone in the town of Salem feared her, and her new “possessed” attitude. John Proctor creates anger in act 1, Proctor was angry that witchcraft was becoming such a hysterical thought in the town of Salem. Betty Parris odd, unhonest behaviour creates panic because it was going against the town of Salems belief.
Otherwise, known as an “Puritan way of life”“. The Crucible onnects to real life hysteria such as The Red Scare, Like the people of Salem, The people of United States were going through anger, fear, and panic over the fear of Communism. The Crucible can connect to real life hysteria because they are both connected and produced by anger, fear, and panic. To begin, Fear in The Crucible is seen in everyone in the town of Salem. What Is meant by this is Abigail WIlliams dishonest, and sneaky behaviour is creating an uprise of the fear of witchcraft.
Readers first see this when Abigail is dishonest about her relationship with John Proctor, and who/what she saw in the forest during forbidden hours. Her dishonesty was unusual and created a fear of witchcraft because Salem’s people never acted this way. A text excerpt indicating this is, “Parris: (with anger). I saw it! (He moves from her. Then, resolved) Now tell me true, Abigail. And I pray you feel the weight of truth upon you, for now my ministry’s at stake, my ministry and perhaps your cousin’s life. Whatever abomination you have done, give me all of it now, for I dare not be taken unaware when I go before them down there.
Abigail: There is nothing more. I swear it, uncle. Parris: (studies her, then nods, half convinced ). Abigail, I have fought ere three long years to bend these stiff-necked people to me, and now, just now when some good respect is rising for me in the parish, you compromise my very character. I have given you a home, child, I have put clothes upon your back now give me upright answer. Your name in the town it is entirely white, is it not? ” (Miller, 144). We can infer from the text that Abigail creates fear because no one trusted her, not even John Proctor.
In conclusion, Abigail creates so much fear in the town of Salem by her dishonest ways and weird “childish” behaviour. To concede, Anger in The Crucible within everyone’s seen. In Salem everyone as angry at Abigail, especially John Proctor. The whole town of Salem is mad at Abigail because her weird, unusual behaviour and her lying ways. The people of Salem are connecting these odd behaviours to witchcraft which makes, Proctor angry because this is his Puritan town believing in evil actions. Anger in hysteria is seen most in the towns meetings. This is seen when, “Mrs.
Putnam:I knew it! Goody Osburn were midwife to me three times. I begged you, Thomas, did I not? I begged him not to call Osburn because I feared her. My babies always shriveled in her hands! Hale: Take courage, you must give us all their names. How can you bear to see this child suffering? Look at her, Tituba: (He is indicating Betty on the bed. ) Look at her God- given innocence; her soul is so tender; we must protect her, Tituba; the Devil is out and preying on her like a beast upon the flesh of the pure lamb. God will bless you for your help.
Abigail rises, staring as though inspired, and cries out. ) Abigail: I want to open myself! (They turn to her, startled. She is enraptured, as though in a pearly light. ) 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! (As she is speaking, Betty is rising from the bed, a fever in her eyes, and picks up the chant. ) Betty: (staring too). I saw George Jacobs with the Devil!
I saw Goody Howe with the Devil! Parris. She speaks! (He rushes to embrace Betty. ) She speaks! ” ( Miller, 162). Abigail weirds strange behaviour created anger from everyone especially proctor because witchcraft and signs of the devil was unholy and forbidden in the town of Salem. In conclusion, Abigail admitting she was “possessed” with he thought of the devil created so much hysterical anger in everyone in the town of Salem. Panic, In The Crucible is created when Betty Parris odd, unhonest behaviour creates panic because it was going against the town of Salems belief.
What is meant by this is, Betty’s unusual “possessed” behaviour creates panic in the people of Salem because people the devil, and of witchcraft. This is seen in this text excerpt, ‘ ught she was joining the practices of Abigail: Betty? (She goes to Betty. ) Now, Betty, dear,wake up now. It’s Abigail. (She sits Betty up and furiously shakes her. ) I’ll beat you, Betty! (Betty whimpers. My, you seem improving. I talked to your papa and I told him everything. So there’s nothing to. Betty: (darts off the bed, frightened of Abigail, and flattens herself against the wall ) I want my mama!
Abigail: (with alarm, as she cautiously approaches Betty). What ails you, Betty? Your mama’s dead and buried. Betty. I’ll fly to Mama. Let me fly! (She raises her arms as though to fly, and streaks for the window, gets one leg out. ) Abigail: (pulling her away from the window). I told him everything; he knows now, he knows everything we Betty. You drank blood, Abby! You didn’t tell him that! Abigail: Betty, you never say that again! You will never. Betty: You did, you did! You drank a charm to kill John Proctor’s wife!
You drank a charm to kill Goody Proctor! ” (Miller, 148), Betty creates panic in everyone by her attitude, She’s calling for her dead mother and going against what Abigail is saying. Betty is going against the bible and performed unnatural and unhonest acts like witchcraft. Hysteria in the the world is seen in the Red Scare. The Red Scare, Also known as the spread of Communism is, the fear of a rise of Communism. The people of Salem, And the people of Salem were both fearing, and panicking about the spread of beliefs that weren’t the same as theirs.
The Red Scare created fear and panic because the idea of Communism went against many American beliefs, Like The Crucible because Puritans were just like Americans they were both terrified of their beliefs being “torn away” from them. The Red Scare created hysteria in the real world just like The Crucible did. Panic, fear, and anger are all found in The Crucible. The Red Scare and The Crucible are related because people became hysterical over these small but impactful things. Panic, fear, and anger connect with hysteria and real life events seen in The Crucible. Don’t become hysterical over small things.
