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Allegory For Mccarthyism In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

702 Words3 Pages

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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