Hysteria In The Crucible

A group of people called the Puritans came to the United States and settled in Salem, Massachusetts. The Puritan people had escaped England because they were being persecuted for wanted to believe in their own religion; in other words, they came here for religious freedom. Salem, Massachusetts was a harbor town, near the ocean. This place was a theocracy; a system of government that is ruled by a priest in the name of God. The Puritans believed that their religion was the right one to follow and that everyone had to follow it. They did not believe in literature and would say that their religion forbade such enjoyment. The only time they would actually hang out and have a sort of reunion was when a new farmhouse was built. Other than this,
The title of this play is a good choice because it has a double meaning. A crucible is a situation in which someone or something is severely tested. It also is a container used in the process of heating and melting metals to separate the valuable metals from the not so valuable. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Abigail is most responsible for the chaotic witchcraft situation by the end of act 1 in Salem, Massachusetts.

In act 1 of Arthur Miller’s The crucible, Abigail is the most responsible for the witchcraft hysteria in Salem, Massachusetts. One of the reasons why Abigail is to blame for the hysteria is her personality; she is characterized as having “an endless capacity for dissembling.” On page 1093 of the play, Reverend Parris is confronting Abigail of what happened the night before where she and other girls, including Betty were seen by him. Parris claims he saw a dress and a naked girl, “ Parris: I cannot blink what I saw, Abigail, for my enemies will not blink it. I saw a dress lying on the grass. Abigail, innocently: A dress? Parris - it is very hard to say: Aye, a dress. And I thought I saw - someone naked running through the trees! Abigail, in terror: No one was naked! You mistake yourself uncle!” In