Imagine having to choose between the murder of others or your death. In Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible,” the depiction of the Salem witch trials offers a compelling parallel to the hysteria and paranoia fueled by the Communist Red Scare of the 1950s. During the Red Scare, fearful Americans would sell out their neighbors, mainly because they themselves did not want to be seen as conspirators. In the context of “The Crucible," the most capable character of putting an end to mass hysteria would be Danforth, as evidenced by the fact that he was the main judge of the town, but was incompetent, and didn’t want to tarnish his reputation. Both historical contexts reveal that mass hysteria can influence a substantial amount of people. Through this analogy, Miller prompts audiences to reflect on ways that they can be controlled. …show more content…
He is the one interrogating people, and believes every name thrown out in court to be a witch. Furthermore, he sees no wrongdoing on the girls’ part and condemns everyone that they blame for their deaths. Secondly, Danforth could be considered an incompetent judge. He strictly follows the Puritan laws. Consequently, he is also incredibly emotionless and cold when prosecuting, giving almost no one a chance to spare their own life legally. He is quoted as saying: “You must understand, sir, that a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between,” showing his devotion to court law. Throughout the story, Governor Danforth imprisons at least 100 people, and sentences 19 of them to death before the story ends. In Act 3 of “The Crucible”, Proctor presents a document with 91 signatures to Danforth, testifying to the innocence of Elizabeth, Martha, and Rebecca. For this reason, Danforth responds by rounding up all 91 people mentioned and arresting