Hysteria in Salem In 1692, in Salem Massachusetts, the superstition of witches existed in a society of strong Christian beliefs. Anybody who acted out of the ordinary was accused of being a witch and the accused would actually be forgiven if they blamed their accusations on another individual. In this play, a group of young girls is accused of being witches. These girls then blame other people in order to get out of trouble and even pretend to be "bewitched" in front of the court during a trial. This leads into the deaths of the innocent people who are accused and automatically found guilty.
Roger’s revenge partially leads to the death of Dimmesdale, and at the same time, destroys himself. Hester is shunned in front of the town people because of her adultery and being silence on who the man she commits adultery to. Her daughter, Pearl, and she get really sick because they have stayed in the jail for a long time. Roger visits Hester in jail as a doctor to ask Hester who the man she commits adultery to. And he declares that he is going on a revenge on that man: “his fame, his position, his life, will be in my hands,” (IV.
Elizabeth breaks the news to John that Abigail, the woman (or more teenager) that John had sex with, is telling people all over town that certain members of society are witches. Elizabeth hears from one of the accused that Abigail is to blame which sparks anger in John. Even though John tries to tell Elizabeth of Abigail's good nature, Elizabeth believes that Abigail is to blame solely because she committed adultery with her (Elizabeth's) husband. "My Wife will never die for me!...that goodness will not die for me," (38)! John soon comes to the conclusion that Elizabeth doesn't care about him since Elizabeth doesn't care about Abigail.
“Have plucked my nipple from his boneless gums and dashed the brains out”. This takes her femininity away and portrays her as a cold-hearted character who is not only willing to commit murder, but also able to persuade her husband into going against what he believes in. As well as this, the violent imagery in this quote is very shocking and gives a gothic element to Act One Scene Seven. It also shows us how quickly Lady Macbeth
When the white master is sent off to war, his jealous wife threatens to whip Nanny and to sell off her baby. Nanny flees in the night with her child and stays in hiding until slavery ends. At that point she becomes a nanny for a white family and desires to be like them. She strives to raise her daughter properly but that backfires when her child is raped by her white teacher. Nanny’s daughter gives birth to Janie and then disappears forever leaving Nanny to raise her granddaughter.
THE CRUCIBLE Character analysis Abigail Williams – Abigail Williams is an orphan, unmarried but has an affair with married man John Proctor. From the start of the play Abigail is a villain, she tells lies and manipulates everyone to fit her own little world, all so she gets her way, to get revenge on Elizabeth Proctor. Throughout the hysteria Abigail is driven by sexual desire, lust for power and jealousy. All of the young girls in Salem have no authority, the minister and other male adults are God’s representatives. The trials start, in which the girls act as though they have a direct connection to God, led by the now powerful Abigail.
In chapter four, Candide finds out that Cunegonde had been killed. He faints because of the awful news. Naively, Candide thinks it's because of him getting kicked out of her father's castle until Pangloss tells him that she had been raped by burglar soldiers. Candide faints once again, but disregards the rape situation because he thinks it's expected and for the best. He proceeds in asking Pangloss about how he has contracted Syphilis from Paquette.
Nine-year old Elizabeth Parris and eleven years old Abigail Williams started having fits, strange behaviors and would scream with anger. A doctor looked at the girls and decided that the only explanation was spells caused by witchcraft. Despite the fact today we know it wasn’t logically true, but the town had a strong belief of the devil. Hysteria and chaos took over the town, soon enough when girls all over town decided to take part in it, and began accusing the townspeople without a reason. This is one reason why this is the worst thing that happened to America.
When Sula returns to the Bottom after ten years she is “accompanied by a plague of robins”. The townspeople blame this, and several other incidents, on Sula and call her a witch. The other incidents she was blamed for was a child falling down the stairs and a man choking on a bone, both of which she is had nothing to do with. The town is in fear of Sula, but “in spite their fear, they reacted to… what they called evil days… Such evil must be avoided… and precautions must… be taken to protect themselves from it”. This shows that the town is quick to judge Sula out of ignorance and labels her as wicked and sinful.
The play opens in a scene of chaos; Betty Parris, daughter of Reverend Parris, has slipped into what is now known as a coma. When Betty does not awaken, the townspeople immediately turn to witchcraft as the reason for what is happening. Jealousy causes many of the people to accuse others of witchcraft. Debates over property lines occur; neighbors are at each others’ throats. Centering now upon John Proctor, and his wife, Elizabeth, the story takes a turn.