In the past, present, and undoubtedly in the future, deceptive individuals take advantage
of the anxieties and fears of society. When a society's insecurities are exposed and raw,
a disconcerted mood spreads throughout the people. This contagion can engulf an entire
population and become like a living entity, causing people to act rashly and
hypocritically. Whether or not the fear is justified, a convincing individual can exploit
a certain mentality called mob psychology. Mob psychology involves manipulating the
hysteria of a crowd to fulfill one's desires. In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, Abigail
Williams and other characters spread a fear of witches in the Puritan town of Salem. The
fear that they spread ends up permeating their community and dominating the lives of
everyone in the town. The psychological phenomenon known as mass hysteria has an
important effect on the events in The Crucible.
The Crucible contains many important events that precede the madness that ensues by the
end of the play. Abigail Williams, for instance, has a love affair with John Proctor, and
wants Proctor to leave his wife Elizabeth for her. Another character with a hidden agenda
is Mr. Thomas Putnam, who hopes to take over some of his neighbor's land. To amplify the
situation, a group of girls are questioned by ministers for performing witch-like rituals
in the forest. A Puritan belief of the 17th century is that the devil and other demons
live in the forest, and that witchcraft is performed there as well. Dissembling citizens
begin to accuse others of witchcraft, with a very selfish motive. As John Proctor
describes the
hysteria that ensues, "vengeance is walking Salem" (1079). The vengeance that Proctor is
talking about is the motive for all the accusers. The accusers are able to get away with
injustices in the court because the townspeople are extremely afraid of witchcraft, and
thus are eager to annihilate any signs of it.
The mass hysteria also has an incredible effect later in the play, when the witchcraft
trials take place. Many people are being convicted with very insubstantial testimony, and
with no tangible evidence at all. This is because the people of the town have been
surrounded by the witchcraft frenzy so much, that they ignore their conscience. They
become infatuated with the existence of witches, and seek to eradicate them. Since the
people of Salem are very vulnerable, " It is not hard to see how many could have been led
to believe that the time of confusion had been brought upon them by deep and darkling
forces" (1036). The Puritans believe that all evil and disorder is linked to the Devil.
At the trial, even people as wise as Reverend Hale are confused as to what is the truth
and what is false. This is an example of illusion vs. reality, because so many people are
"crying witch", that it becomes impossible to discern the people that have selfish intent
from those that actually believe in witchcraft. The mass hysteria causes the citizens to
assume the defendants are guilty before they are officially tried.
Though the hysteria in the Salem witch trials takes place in 17th century Massachusetts,
a more modern version of this psychological phenomenon takes place during the 1950s. The
hearings of Senator Joe McCarthy also utilize mob psychology for the benefit of an
individual. McCarthy uses the fear of an attack by the Communist Soviet Union to build up
hype in order to develop his political career. This fear that, "in America,
any man who is reactionary in his views is open to the charge of alliance with the Red
hell" (1052), is an example of the fears people have of Communist infiltration. The "Red
hell"
mentioned by the narrator is the Communist Party, and during the 1950s, one would be
tried for treason if he or she is accused of being affiliated with this unfavorable
party. The reaction of the people to this hype is just as McCarthy expects. The people
become frightened and the truth becomes hazy. As a mechanism of defense, people begin to
scapegoat each other. When high officials are eventually accused, the entire idea is
dropped, and the emotions return back to normal. This is a parallel to the part Rebecca
Nurse has in The Crucible. She is a highly respected community figure, and when she is
accused of witchcraft, people begin to reevaluate the validity of the claims.
In other great literary works, the theme of mass hysteria is present to show the
hypocritical side of society or in portraying effective ways of persuading a crowd. One
such instance of persuasion is in William Shakespeare's, Julius Caesar. The character
Mark Antony speaks to the mourners at Caesar's funeral, which are completely against him,
and he turns the crowd entirely in his favor. Mark Antony uses verbal tools such as
sarcasm and repetition to turn the crowd in his favor, so that he might have people help
him retaliate against Caesar's murderers. The phenomenon of mass hysteria strongly
influences the events in literature, and parallels can be drawn between those events and
modern events. The Crucible is a powerful example of mass hysteria invading a population
like a rampant virus consuming its host.
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