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Symbolism in the crucible by arthur Miller
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Allegories are stories that reveal a hidden meaning. ¨Things stand for other things on a one-for-one basis (Foster 98).¨ The next technique that was used as plot device. Weather never means weather.
Allegory is a story that can mean something in a symbolic way or have meaning in a literal way. The author of the crucible came from a victim standpoint because he was involved in the accusations on people in the Red Scare. “The Crucible” is an allegory to the McCarthyism Red Scare around the 1950’s. An allegory is a story that can relate to something in a symbolic way or have meaning in a literal way. The author Arther Miller uses the Salem Witch Trials as a symbolic story to his situation back around the Red Scare.
‘The Crucible’ is an allegory itself , a story that can be interpreted in both a literal and a symbolic sense. The author , Arthur Miller lived in a time frame in which the McCarthyism Red Scare occurred. Miller also uses the Salem witch trials as a symbolic story of what happened to him. Senator Joseph McCarthy launched the House of Un-American Committee which was known as the HUAC. One of the many factors to McCarthyism was in the first Red Scare, the rise of Communism within the United States.
Arthur Miller was a Victim during the “ Red Scared “ a time when many people were in fear of McCarthyism and Communism spreading in the United States. Allegory is when a poem, story, or a picture has a hidden meaning, the meaning can be a moral or political one. At the time many of Miller's co workers were being accused of communism in the United States. Miller did what he does best and wrote a play named “ The Crucible “. This play was an allegory for McCarthyism comparing it to the Salem witch trials.
Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible as a social commentary on McCarthyism, the practice of making accusation of communist treason without proper regard for evidence which mainly occurred in the 1940s and 1950s. The Crucible takes place in Salem where people accuse the innocence for witchcraft in order to sustain or even gain power; Miller uses this play as an allegory to criticize McCarthy for gaining power through false accusations. In this play, Miller claims that people can gain power by telling lies. He shows his point through one of the main character of the play, Abigail Williams. Abigail is a teenage girl who is an orphan, being a female causes her to have little power in the beginning of the play.
In 1952 Arthur Miller published a play “The Crucible” which was based on his research of the witch hunts in 1692, where it took place in Salem, Massachusetts. The play, though, was more, than a recollection of tragic medieval events, it was an allegory of the 1950’s red hunt by a Republican U.S senator Joseph McCarthy, where a witch hunt was replaced by a hunt for communists. The Crucible reveals moral and political messages such as an allegory for the greed of power, betrayal, and the courage to stand up to public opinion. This pertains to the history of McCarthy and the House of Un-American activities committee.
The Salem Witch Trials of 1692 were considered a dark period of time for the Puritans of Salem, Massachusetts. Accusations flew, and many were hung for false accusations of witchcraft. During the 1950s, a similar situation arose across the United States with the “threat” of communism. Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible during that time as an allegory to draw parallels to the horrific events of the past. Times of trouble, like these two examples, have different effects on people.
In the play, The Crucible, Arthur Miller is showing how history may repeat itself through his article on McCarthyism, “Are You Now Or Were You Ever”. The Crucible proves a fitting allegory for the Red Scare by highlighting societal actions characteristic to both events: the snowball effect, blind obedience to authority, and damaged reputations. Damaged reputations is a fear that is shared in The Crucible and during the Red Scare. During the Red Scare hinting at any communists remarks raised questions. When Miller was joking about communism, his lawyer began to question his motive.
`The Crucible' written by Arthur Miller is a great example of an allegory which explores the conflict existing between individual choices and social expectations. In Salem the society may have power over certain individuals such as Mary Warren but not over strong willed characters such as Abigail and Proctor. This community holds power over individuals who fear other individuals and is made up of a dominant group. Miller uses this idea to make a comparison to McCarthyism in the 1950's. During this time in McCarthyism the government had most authority over America and almost brainwashed them, while in Salem people were ruled over by the Church and Court.
) Proctor was given many opportunities to save himself and not be hung, but he knew that if he admitted to something he didn't do, he would be living for the wrong reason. He was in front of the whole town of Salem and right before they set to hang him, he and his
The Crucible, published in 1953 by Arthur Miller is a very popular book written about the 1692 Salem Witch Trials. While most people use the book to study the Witch Trials, with closer examination it is easy to conclude that it is a direct allegory to the Red Scare and the McCarthy era of 1950s America. An allegory is an extended metaphor in which the characters or objects in the story represent an outside meaning. The Crucible is an allegory to the Red Scare and the McCarthy era drastically by its plot, characters, and the flow and outcome of the court trials. To begin with, The Crucible is an allegory because the plot of the book closely resembles the events that occurred during the Red Scare.
Charles Maurice de Talleyrand once stated, “Speech was given to man to disguise his thoughts.” Allegory has been a method of writing used by authors for decades. It is viewed as a way an author can express his or her feelings or opinions on various topics without explicitly giving away the deeper meaning in black and white. An author can write his or her thoughts, while disguising the specific issue through literary elements. Arthur Miller, author of The Crucible (1950), used just this technique to unmask the 20th century witch hunt taking place at that period of time.
If he had chosen to confess, in the process lying and compromising his morals, the audience would not really have blamed him. In our day and age, the trend is still towards following the majority. We often stifle our own conscience so that we are not ourselves condemned, and though we applaud those who uphold it, we usually do not have the strength of character to do so ourselves. Proctor's death becomes a moral exclamation point, and it would have a profound effect on modern audiences. The Crucible has much to offer an audience in 2014.
According to the Cambridge English Dictionary, an allegory refers to a story, play, poem, picture, or other work in which the characters and events represent particular qualities or ideas that relate to morals, religion or politics. The Allegory of the cave describes human condition in both its fallen and risen state. It is one the most influential allegories of all time. The Allegory of the Cave gives Plato’s view on the education of the soul towards enlightenment. The Allegory of the cave is a fictional dialogue between Plato’s teacher, Socrates and Plato’s brother, Glaucon.
Authors will use distinct literary device to exhibit individuality and provide entertainment. One example of these literary devices is allegory. Allegory is a story, poem, or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one or simply put, a symbol. A story that can be associated with allegory is Ramayana. The story has an abundance of symbols that had deeper meanings.
