The Epiphany of Fear
It is only human nature to succumb to and delve into the knowledge of the unknown or of
foreign threats towards ones safety. It is this prime example of mass illusion that overtook the
U.S. in the late 1940 's to early 1950 's with the panic induced by the Red Scare just as centuries before
innocents were hung upon the gallows of Salem by those who let fear guide their actions. In response
to this plague that was overtaking the U.S. “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller was born. Arthur Miller
was a famous playwright whom had written and produced several famous plays in the United States
with at the time at his most famous being “Death of a Salesman”. Troubled by the recent events
occurring in the U.S. with the alienation and branding of innocents as
…show more content…
The Trials of 1692 were a perfect way for Miller to express his thoughts about the hunt for
communists in the U.S. as Americans let fear control them causing fellow neighbors to suspect each
other and ignore one another 's civil rights and as stated by History.com “ the Red Scare – is often cited
as an example of how unfounded fears can compromise civil liberties”(History.com “Red Scare”) .
The attitude of the 50 's also helped to play a vital part in how Miller came to choose to write about the
trials as Americans branded communists were as stated by History.com “hounded by law enforcement,
alienated from friends and family and fired from their jobs.”(History.com “Red Scare”), Miller lived in
a world that was teetering on the edge of fear. His writings about the Salem Witch Trials expressed
Martinez 2
just how fear of the unknown can influence and cause people to commit atrocities which can lead to
the persecution of innocents. However, it may have been the fear developed inside of those who