In The Crucible, witch trials are the center of attention.

Dramatic accusations and confessions flood the story even beyond the courtroom. The entire courtroom depends on accusations, which is also the only way in identifying witches. Once an accusation is made, the person accused is tried in the court and the accuser has the last laugh. Confessions on the other hand, are like proof or evidence for the courtroom. Once a confession is made, the whole public immediately notices and the person is free to live, but those who do not confess are condemned and hanged to death. In The Crucible, the accusers are often innocent while their many unjust accusations play a huge role in leading many characters to decide for their own conscience to either confess or eventually conclude in death. Arthur Miller portrays the theme of hysteria to show its big role in tearing up the town of Salem. Hysteria is assumptions that make people believe that other people are committing crimes. Miller uses examples of hysteria throughout the play. Throughout the play, Reverend Parris makes Proctor get in trouble for all of Parris' wrong doings. Proctor becomes Parris' scapegoat. In Act two, Reverend Hale blames Proctor for not knowing the Ten Commandments. They are accused even though they did nothing wrong. Proctor could have forgotten the Ten Commandments because not all people can remember a list of things. Another example is when Abigail accuses Elizabeth of witchery. Abigail accuses her because of her love for Proctor. She wants to overthrow Elizabeth by committing adultery with Elizabeth's husband, Proctor. Hale says, "Abigail were stabbed tonight; a needle were found stuck into her belly-." Elizabeth responds by saying, "And she charges me"" Hale: "Aye." Any reader would know that the evidence was false and the reader knows that it is Mary Warren's needle. It could not have been the same one inside Abigail's stomach. Later in the same conversation, Proctor asks Herrick why the accuser is always innocent but, there was no answer. Elizabeth ends up being arrested while nothing ever happens to Abigail. Miller shows that the accuser is innocent and he also portrays the town of Salem miserable in handling with the law. Inconclusion, Miller uses the theme of hysteria by showing more examples like when Thomas Putnam gets his revenge on Francis Nurse by getting his wife, Rebecca, convicted of supernatural powers. This could have been a joke, but Rebecca gets convicted and is hanged. She dies while Francis sobs and Putnam is the one laughing in the end. Miller again shows that the accuser is innocent. Thomas Putnam is the accuser and nothing happens to him again. Later on, when Giles tries to prove Martha's innocence, he gets stoned to death. This is outraging because when accusations are made, they are evidence for the court, but while people try to prove their innocence, the judge does not want to listen to any evidence that Abigail is to blame for the events that occurred in the crucible.