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Allegory For Mccarthyism In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

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After World War II, many Americans were in extreme fear as to what would become of them. The main fear was that the Communists would attempt to take over the world and to destroy precious American liberties. John McCarthy, a republican senator from Wisconsin, became the head of a committee known as the United States Senate Homeland Security Permanent Subcommittee on Investigations, or PSI (“Joseph R. McCarty”). This committee became infamous for its unconstitutional investigation and hearings. The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller in response to what are now known as the McCarthy hearings, proves to be an allegory for McCarthyism in that the play contains a similar basis for the ordeal, a similar set of trials, and some similar effects. …show more content…

“McCarthy—and what became known as McCarthyism—flourished in the seething Cold War atmosphere of suspicion and fear” (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 950). The citizens of the United States, shaken after the Second World War, were most suspicious of their Communist enemy. After all, it seemed to be the one linking factor among the enemy side (Kennedy, Cohen, and Bailey 923). Miller also demonstrates this basis of obsessive anxiety in The Crucible. Mostly Abigail who accused numerous persons in an attempt to cover up the illegal activities in which she partook. The town erupted into a great panic, with many people being accused and even put to death (Miller 99). Of course, because both of these circumstances were based upon fear mongering, they ended up having similar structures and …show more content…

In both instances, the trials ruined the reputation of those accused and the accusers. In Miller’s work, on page 146, he describes the outcome of some of the main characters. Parris, one of the prosecutors, was kicked out of office, and Abigail fled town to become a prostitute. Most of the accused either ended up dead, or had their reputation tarnished. This was more of the case for the McCarthy trials. “Senator McCarthy’s zeal to uncover subversion and espionage led to disturbing excesses. His browbeating tactics destroyed careers of people who were not involved in the infiltration of our government.” (Volume 1 XI). This quote proves that the trials not only tarnished the accused, but the innocent. Overall, the trials ruined the lives of people on both sides in incidents spurred from mass

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As the 1950’s continued, and the McCarthy trials along with it, Miller noticed that the trials had the same overall process of the Salem Trials so he began writing “The Crucible” hoping that his play would help people realize that McCarthyism may not be as justified as it seems (Miller Interview part 1.1). In a discussion between McCarthy and Joseph Welch-a special council for the army-about Fred Fisher-a lawyer and suspected communist who had been recommended by Welch to join McCarthy’s Committee-the topic of a “needlessly inflicted” scar on Fisher caused by McCarthy could make a person wonder how many more scars were given in this publicity stunt (“McCarthy-Welch

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In the 1940s, America was hysterical over communism with McCarthyism everywhere. Author, Arthur Miller felt that the situation had many similarities to the Salem Witch Trials. In both the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism- fear, hysteria, and danger were common. Miller used his play, The Crucible, as an allegory for McCarthyism to tell one story with an even deeper meaning. Miller stated, “Paranoia breeds paranoia, but below paranoia there lies a bristling, unwelcome truth, so repugnant as to produce fantasies of persecution to conceal its existence.”

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Almost every kid in school has read a passage or a story, and never really understood the purpose of learning the topic in school. The teachers expect us to do the work, and hopefully understand it, but we never truly understand why we learned such a topic or event. The Crucible is a prime example on what students read in school, or why we’re obligated to read the book. The crucible and McCarthyism have many similarities that many people over look, and don’t realize, and connects more than we perceive. Books like the crucible and McCarthy are historical events, many schools have very few books based on historical events, which is why teachers spend more time on them.

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Throughout history the fear of corruption and change has compelled people to go to drastic measures to prevent it. The Crucible, a play by arthur Miller, is set in an environment of religious citizens who fear that the devil and witchcraft will corrupt their society. Much like The Crucible, McCarthyism caused the citizens in America to fear corruption of the government by communism. Arthur Miller used his play the crucible as a direct response to McCarthyism and through this play Miller writes about the Salem witch trials during the McCarthy period to comment on how history repeats itself. The social and political factors in The Crucible resemble those in America during the red scare and McCarthyism.

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When the Salem Witch Trials are remembered at face value, the sinister events that took place within the puritan community seem so surreal, so deranged, that it becomes easy to ignore the very real and dangerous implications they make of human nature and capability. It is easy to think that such heinous things could never occur in modern society. Arthur Miller, the author of The Crucible, takes that assumption and uses it to expose the absurd injustice of modern events by creating a play that employed the infamous Salem Witch Trials as an allegory of his own experiences with the Red Scare and McCarthyism during the Cold War. McCarthy, the main anti-communist leader during the Red Scare, was known as a man who unapologetically made accusations against people to undercut their credibility and bolster his own influence.

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McCarthyism and The Crucible caused a feeling of hysteria and paranoia in all the people that were accused and others that were not accused. Abigail Williams and McCarthy had no evidence on the people accused except rumors that were

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“ This is a clear attack upon the court! ... I think they ought to be examined”(Miller 81), this really represents how McCarthy was really never investigated during the red scare and was just allowed free reign to persecute and search people of the government and who he thought would be on the list, it is really prevalent to the story cause both shows a higher power using their authority without anyone being able to

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Arthur Miller wrote the play “The Crucible”, during the “Red Scare” era. The “Red Scare” era, also known as the communist scare, was a time period where communists were often unjustly accused of plotting against the Government. Mass hysteria ensued involving these communists and many trials were had regarding these supposed “criminals”. Senator Joseph McCarthy, who accused anyone and everyone of being a communist or communist-sympathizer, single-handedly lead this hysteria. This label cause some to lose their job, have their homes vandalized, and even worse threats on their life.

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Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible,” a partially fictionalized play that depicts the Salem witch trials, is similar to the “Red Scare,” a series of government’s actions which were provoked by Senator McCarthy’s paranoia about the presence of communists within the American government. For instance, in “The Crucible,” Reverend Parris, the head of the Salem church and the village, uses the witch trials to assert his political dominance over the townspeople in the same manner that McCarthy used the “Red Scare” to justify the eradication of “the traitorous actions of those who have been treated so well by the [United States]” (McCarthy). Likewise, the gathering by McCarthy of “[fifty-seven] cases of individuals who would appear to be either card carrying

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In The Crucible Miller creates an analogy of the witch hunts in Salem to the investigation of communists by Joseph McCarthy. One of the many resemblances’ that can be

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Arthur Miller constructs his play upon the famous Salem witch trails. Miller's Crucible was written in the early 1950s. Miller wrote his drama during the brief reign of the American senator Joseph McCarthy whose bitter criticized anti- communism sparkled the need for the United States to be a dramatic anti- communist society during the early tense years of the cold war. By orders from McCarthy himself, committees of the Congress commenced highly controversial investigations against communists in the U.S similar to the alleged Salem witches situation. Convict communists were ordered to confess their crime and name others to avoid the retribution.

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the crucible by Arthur miller is an allegory for the red scare in the McCarthy Era because of the trials, false accusation and the lack of evidence One of the ways that the crucible can allegorically connect to the McCarthy era is the trials. In the crucible if you confess that you are a witch then you had to give up name of alleged witches. According to “what is McCarthyism? And how did it happen?” By Ellen Schrecker and “Hunting the communist” the same thing happened in the McCarthy era trials, if you were accused of being a communist, then you had to give a list of

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Miller’s purpose of The Crucible was to represent and mirror the social injustice under McCarthyism as people falsely accused each other because their fear, jealousy and solely hatred of one another. Although, around 1950-1954 the “innocent until proven guilty” clause existed, most trials and accusations were led by “guilty until proven innocent.” Despite Miller’s efforts to criticise people’s actions as

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The Crucible by Arthur Miller is based on the true events of the Salem witch trials. Set in the 17th century The Crucible told the story of a town that ensued a hunt for witches, caused by the accusations of Salem 's young girls and their ring leader Abigail Williams. Arthur Miller wrote this play to symbolize 1950’s McCarthyism. Most readers are unfamiliar with McCarthyism. So for a brief explanation, McCarthyism was carried out under senator Joseph McCarthy during 1950-1954 against alleged communist in the US government and in other institutions.

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It was derived from the fear and hatred they had deep inside them. Mccarthy used this plot to get rid of his opponents and secure him a prime spot for a next term as a senator. McCarthy’s trials were no different to The Salem witch trials by raising suspitions he was able to destroy lives with a written list. Although people tried to contradict his allegations the majority’s fear of communists clouded the court’s judgement. They had no remorse for the aftermath of their doings.

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