Salem Witch Trials And Mccarthy Hearings In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

In order to learn and truly comprehend a specific event, you must learn about the history surrounding that event. Arthur Miller's 1953 play The Crucible is a story about the Salem Witch Trials. It dives deep into the paranoia, ignorance and fear that plagued 17th-century Salem. Many innocent people were killed during this time due to the hysteria of unexplained events. Due to these unexplained events occurring many looked toward the idea of witches as scapegoats. The Salem Witch Trials are very similar to the McCarthy Hearings during the Red Scare. This play represents both the Salem Witch Trials and the McCarthy Hearings. Understanding the historical context in which these events are essential to understanding the message put forth by Miller

Miller wrote the play as a response to the McCarthy era, during which many Americans were accused of being communists and faced persecution. There was a perfect storm that needed scapegoats and “It was in this atmosphere of suspicion, fear, and false accusations that Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible” (The Crucible - A Note on the Political Context ). The Salem Witch Trials served as a metaphor for the McCarthy era, while characters represented individuals who were falsely accused and punished for their supposed crimes. Arthur Miller was one of those individuals who was falsely accused. It was quoted after Miller had published The Crucible that “Miller did receive some attention; in 1956 he was called in front of the McCarthy committee” (The Crucible - A Note on the Political Context ). A quote from The Crucible that emphasizes the necessity of understanding the historical context is when "Giles: He’ll lay in jail if I give his name!; Hawthorne: This is contempt of the court, Mr. Danforth!; Danforth, to avoid that: You will surely tell us the name.; Giles: I will not give you a name. I mentioned my wife’s name once and I’ll burn in hell long enough for that. I stand mute”

Without this knowledge, the play may come across as simply a story about witches in Salem rather than a story on the dangers of mass hysteria and the persecution of innocent individuals. It is important to understand the connections between the events of the play and real-life events in order to fully grasp the message and relevance of the play. Arthur Miller said “What terrifies one generation is likely to bring only a puzzled smile to the next” (Why I Wrote “The Crucible”). This is extremely true with many events including the McCarthy Hearings and the Salem Witch Trials. However, the McCarthy Hearings are more modern and put into perspective on how their mass hysteria trials are not something that happened when witchcraft was believed to be real. In The Crucible, “Danforth, angered now: Reproach me not with the fear in the country; there is fear in the country because there is a moving plot to topple Christ in the country!; Hale: But it does not follow that everyone accused is part of it.; Danforth: No uncorrupted man may fear this court, Mr. Hale! None! To Giles: You are under arrest in contempt of this court”(Miller 91). This quote to someone who is unaware of the historical context of the McCarthy Hearings and the Salem Witch Trials would just think that it is an argument in the court but it is simply more than that. This quote