During both the events that take place in the play and the events that took place after 9/11, especially with the anthrax scare, paranoia and hysteria took over and overwhelmed some people's better judgment. In the play, Mrs. Putnam is so sure that there is someone evil in her midst, someone on whom she can blame the deaths of her seven babies, that she is willing to believe anything, suspect anyone. Therefore, when Abigail and Betty begin accusing people of witchcraft, Mrs. Putnam responds hysterically -- out of her fear -- convinced that the girls' words confirm her suspicions.
Something similar happened to people after 9/11. People began to get really paranoid about using the postal service, afraid to open packages or letters unless they knew exactly where they'd come from or who had sent them. There was even one story about a baker who called the police because he'd received a suspicious 25-pound package of white powder. The powder turned out to be flour. Fear of danger caused a hysteria that overwhelmed some folks' logic and common sense.
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