The Salem Witch Trials of the 1690's were a hunt where many people were accused and executed for being charged guilty of witchcraft. Arthur Miller, the writer of The Crucible, created the play as an allegory to portray the events going on during the Red Scare. The Red Scare was when the fear of Communism spread rapidly throughout the U.S. because of accusations made by Senator Joseph McCarthy. He believed that many American citizens were part of a secret Communist Party. Most modern day witch-hunts are the same in the sense of how people are accused. Although nobody is killed in the hunt for cheating athletes, it still strongly resembles the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, due to the fact that victims are prosecuted based on the want for revenge, rumors rather than facts, and jealousy. …show more content…
In an article, Lance Armstrong explained it as "...just plain ol' selective prosecution that reeks of vendetta" (Herman 1). Armstrong simply believes that he was being blamed by someone who desired revenge after he treated them harshly in the past. The rumors of Armstrong cheating shot quickly throughout the community, and soon enough he was being questioned if he ever had any involvement in using banned substances. Lance Armstrong's situation is similar to what John Proctor claimed in the play. After being enraged by what was going on in Salem, Proctor insisted that "..Vengeance is walking Salem" (Miller 1246). Proctor thinks Salem is being ruled by vengeance because everyone is accusing one another for revenge, and no matter how innocent that person is, they are still prosecuted. The words of the citizens are controlling what goes on in Salem during the time of the trials, and Proctor is the only one not so caught up in the events. He reacts to what is happening by calling out the court on what's going