Hysteria In The Crucible

Hysteria is a psychological disorder that originates from an imagined or assumed threat that causes people to experience physical and emotional symptoms based on stories they hear. Hysteria, which was once a disorder diagnosed to woman, was a term that implies that females suffer from excessive emotions and mood swings because their Uterus, or hysterika disconnects from the woman. Hysterias pervade many societies as evident in Mattoon during the supposed Mad Gasser attacks of 1944 and Salem Massachusetts in the late 1600’s during the witch trials.

In September 1944, after the first claim of a gas attack, many residents of Mattoon, Illinois experienced weakness, near-paralysis, nausea as well as vomiting- symptoms associated with poison gas.

There were many claims from residents who smelled something strange through their windows during the night and some reported seeing a shadowy figure run through the dark. It was soon hypothesized that Farley Llewellyn, a resident who fostered an unhealthy drinking habit and experimented with chemicals in his personal laboratory was the culprit. In The Mad Gasser of Mattoon: Dispelling the Hysteria, Scott Maruna explains how Farley, who suffered with mental instability and years of bottled-up rage may have, “...tinkered and toyed with various organic solvents in an attempt to create a suitable weapon” (Maruna). However, nobody was ever caught for this crime and any possible suspects were based primarily on suspicion without much evidence. The several cases that were reported also had no scientific proof of chemicals entering the houses, and no medical evidence was able to prove that anyone had actually been poisoned by gas. It has since been contemplated whether the symptoms were made up or had manifested as a result of the growing hysteria.
What started off as a newspaper titled The Mattoon Daily Journal-Gazette with the headline “Mrs Kearny and Daughter, First Victims” (Taylor) eventually snowballed quickly into a mass hysteria where many residents thought they were experiencing symptoms linked to poison gas. After several people were found experiencing weakness, near-paralysis and vomiting, the town of Mattoon became convinced that these symptoms were caused by poison gas and descended into a state of panic. There was no evidence to prove these symptoms were caused by poison gas and it can be inferred that these ailments originated from other causes. The symptoms may have manifested themselves because the residents believed so strongly that there was a Mad Gasser that they actually managed to create these symptoms. As stories of strange smells and shadowy figures running through the night integrated with these symptoms that manifested themselves, the ominous threat of this so-called “Mad Gasser” felt like a reality. Suddenly, “Within 48 hours, four homes had been hit and the newspaper headlines blared, ‘Anesthetic Prowler on the Loose’” (Klickna). These stories from residents and the newspapers provoked a feeling of panic and fear within the community that was so intense. The fact that this was during World War II should be considered to understand that the women, who were left alone as their husbands were off fighting, felt insecure, vulnerable and fearful in their homes (Klickna). A mass hysteria had polluted the town as a result of a couple of newspaper headlines, which snowballed into the manifestation of hallucinations and symptoms associated with poison gas. Eventually, as police became more involved, many of these claims of sightings of shadowy figures, smells of gas, and symptoms of poison gas proved to be false. In addition, police threatened to arrest those who claimed they were attacked by poison gas without medical evidence. As a result, calls to the station decreased and there were less reports of the Mad Gasser.
In The Crucible, a mass hysteria occurred as a result of the threatening idea that witches resided in Salem.

One reason for this hysteria was that many feared that there were unknown residents who were working with the devil to cause mischief. Because those accused of being a witch faced the possibility of being hanged even if they were innocent, many feared being associated with witchcraft. A constant fear, suspicion and weariness of one-another caused mistrust and a feeling of vulnerability within Salem. Many, in an attempt to save themselves from being accused of being a witch, successfully accused other innocent people of being witches who were in turn forced to confess or be hanged. Stories were made up of spirits being sent on them and people witnessing different residents with the devil. In The Crucible, Mary Warren claims to see spirits but later reveals that she only thought she saw spirits because other people seemed convinced that there were. As Mary stated in court, “I-I heard the other girls screaming, and you, Your Honor, you seemed to believe them… but the whole world cried spirits, spirits, and I-I promise you, Mr. Danforth, I only thought I saw them but I did not” (Miller 1205). Mary Warren only claims to see spirits because other people seem to believe they are seeing spirits too. Likewise, the whole town of Salem believes there are witches because others seem so convinced that there are, causing a snowball effect. Similarly, in the case of the Mad Gasser, some claimed to smell a strange scent coming through their windows or to see a figure running through the dark. These claims of encountering the poison gas in addition to the stories of people who suffered with symptoms that were claimed to be caused by poison gas caused an increasing fear and paranoia within the town. Overall, as in The Crucible, the Mad Gasser created an environment sapped with fear, suspicion and vulnerability that was caused by both real and imagined

hysteria.
The Mad Gasser of Mattoon clearly caused a disturbance in society as the witch trials did in Salem. These events are strong pieces of evidence that prove hysteria can be a formidable enemy. Hysteria can take over the mind and create images or feelings that are not really there. In Salem, people were convinced that there were witches tormenting the town; In Mattoon, people developed symptoms which resembled that of gas poisoning. A smart decision would be to learn about hysteria; therefore, one could conquer his or her own mind. Hysteria is the cause of these symptoms, and to become knowledgeable on this subject would then eliminate the fear that the rest of society can develop from it.