The Crucible By Arthur Miller - 1316 Words

Hysteria is displayed all over the world and is a key component in either making or breaking relationships. It refers to the loss of control over a person’s outburst of emotion or fear. In a more deeper context, mass hysteria can be defined as exaggerated or uncontrollable excitement or anxiety among a group of people. Basically hysteria can make people believe that their neighbors, those who they’ve always considered to be good people, are committing inane and absurd crimes. All of this takes the self interest in one person to start an irreversible chain of decay. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, this is the dilemma that Salem faces. The people of the town act on their grudges and start to turn against one another making false claims†¦show more content†¦This shows how Abigail went to some level to try and get rid of Elizabeth. A little while later while talking to the rest of the girls in the group about not saying anything concerning what happened in the fo rest, Abigail tells them, â€Å"†¦let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word about the things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a point reckoning that will shudder you†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (20). This passage is proof of how cold-blooded Abigail is and how she’s aware of the consequences of her actions but doesn t want to deal with them head on. She shows that she’s willing to use a threat of harm on other people to save herself. The power she displays over the other girls in the group has her planting the first seeds of hysteria. When Abigail sees Marry Warren, Elizabeth and John Proctor’s servant, making a doll, she stabs herself and blames Elizabeth for doing it. However, in the end, Abigail wasn’t successful because John was hanged while Elizabeth was able to live due to her pregnancy. At the end of all this, it can be seen of fear being used as a weapon for revenge. Thomas Putnam uses fear for per sonal achievement. Putnam is a wealthy land owner who is known by that fact that â€Å"many accusations against people are in the handwriting of [him]† (15). He accuses others in the town of practicing witchcraft. Those condemned sell their land at a second-rate price adding more to Putnam’s wealth. However, all of Putnam’s games