Mccarthyism In The Crucible

In the beginning of The Crucible, John Proctor is presented as a contradictory and an unfaithful man, whose sins from the past still haunt him. If so, why did the playwright Arthur Miller use Proctor as an advocate to convey a deeper idea about McCarthyism? John Proctor is skillfully employed as the play’s protagonist because he not only displays character development, but he also represents the play’s, and in a way, the Red Scare’s central struggle: confess and calumnize neighbours, or stand up for what they believe is right but confront death in doing so. John Proctor’s disposition, character development, and fate play an important role on the grounds on which Miller chose him to make a commentary on the Red Scare of the 1950s.

Despite John’s

In the play, Abigail is the conspirer. The character Proctor uses his prior knowledge of Abigail, and recognises that the latter is outrightly accusing innocent people out of hate, jealousy and redress. Proctor realises that he can stop Abigail’s frenzy only if he confesses to his adultery. Such a confession would ruin his good reputation. Proud Mr Proctor turns into a sincere and, in a way, altruistic man, who sacrifices his life to solve the mass hysteria of the village. Due to these difficult circumstances, strong feelings and beliefs are induced in him. Proctor’s evolution of character mentality in the play reflects the Red Scare’s central struggle and with a strong personality such as his, he chooses to stand up for what is right and is severely punished for doing

It also gave people an opportunity to take revenge on the ones they despised. Miller recognizes the patterns that fear and suspicion create in a society. Without fear, the Salem Witch Trials probably would not exist and neither would the Red Scare. While the accused of the Salem trials faced a far worse fate than the accused in 1950s America, it is safe to say that fear and suspicion can lead to dreary consequences. People during both time periods were afraid of standing up for those they knew were innocent. Proctor, however, made an attempt to stop the frenzy of his village, making him apt to be the protagonist of The