Crucible

The Crucible, a book written by Arthur Miller, explores a society with incredible social pressures that aid in creating a difficulty of doing good in the face of evil. Using the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692 as an example, Miller presents changes that occur in The Crucible which assist in developing a theme of hysteria. Miller created this hysteria theme because of the trials that were occurring near the time when he wrote the book.
The hysteria theme is expressed by the strange moral situations in which the accused become unchallengeable, the public insists on self-punishment or even death, and the willingness to forgive if guilt is confessed.
One of the characters in The Crucible who helps in building this hysteria theme is John Proct...