Hysteria In The Crucible Analysis

Mass Hysteria or Massive Greed
1692, mass hysteria and paranoia fogs over a small town in Massachusetts. A tale of greed, scapegoating and fear of the unknown leads to devastation and death. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible makes the effects of scapegoating, hysteria, paranoia, and greed evident through the actions of Tituba, Parris, the girls and other townspeople. Miller uses the hysteria as a way to validate the ignorance and gullibility of Salems townspeople. A black slave from Barbados,Tituba, states that her “slave sense has warned her that, as always, trouble in this house eventually lands on her back” (8). As a black woman who lives in a never ending subordinate position, her instincts tell her to prepare herself so that once again she is not the

Reverend Parris uses the trials to strengthen his position in Salem. Throughout the play Miller shows you what a greed stricken heartless man he really is. Parris is talking to Abigail about her excursion in the woods. His daughter, Betty has fallen inept in her bed, does Parris worry about the witchcraft upon his daughter? No. He worries about what his enemies will think because they will ruin him when they find out witchcraft is loose in his home, “There is a faction that is sworn to drive me from my pulpit. Do you understand that?”(10). Parris also just happened to accuse his neighbors of sorcery, was it for their land? Most likely, evidence shows that the possibility should not be overruled. At this time in history, land meant wealth and power. It was not uncommon for people to be fighting over deeds, land, and borders. Which is the exact reason that Thomas Putnam accuses Rebecca and Francis Nurse of necromancy. With the Nurses in jail, there would be no reason to further argue over land. Goody Putnam goes along with his masquerade due to her desire for an explanation of the loss of her seven children, now maybe the 8th