Karopoulos 1

Tyler Karopoulos

04/25/23

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Within the play, “The Crucible”, by Arthur Miller, he utilizes the characterization and

tonal theme of paranoia and hysteria correlated from the beginning to the end of Act 1 with the

character of Reverend Hale. Which is evident when the character of Mrs. Putnam establishes

that, “ When Reverend Hale comes, you will proceed to look for signs of witchcraft here” (Miller

28). Which, when taken from the general beginning, paves the way for further hysteria

concerning witchcraft throughout the village of Salem. This event marked the moment in the plot

in which hysteria would soon envelop the village of Salem, and more likely than not become

more common throughout the rest of act 1. Miller builds on this idea through character

interactions, one such example being, “ Ah! The stoppage of prayer - that is strange. I’ll speak

further on that with you” (Miller 41) between the characters of Giles Corey and Reverend Hale.

Following this interaction between Giles Corey and Reverend Hale, concerning the matter of

Giles’ wife reading strange books, Hale plants the seed of paranoia that Giles’ wife could be

affiliated with the current fears and worries associated with witchcraft. These fears are further

demonstrated when Miller’s character, Abigail Williams, states that, “I danced for the Devil; I

saw him; I wrote in his book; I go back to Jesus; I kiss His hand. I saw Sarah Good with the

Devil!” (Miller 45). This event not only feeds into the paranoia concerning witchcraft, it is a

prime example of how this certain situation can affect an individual through hysterics. Through

the use of Miller’s characterization, and the use of tonal themes, correlating with the character of

Reverend Hale, Miller is able to paint the picture of a society plagued with paranoia and hysteria.