Miller's play is not only a portrait of the Salem Witch Trials but a criticism of contemporary America where people's political opinions were also put on trial? Consider this view in light of the critical anthology. The Crucible is a play which revolves around the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, yet was written in 1953. When viewed, through a Marxist lens, it is evident this play is a condemnation of McCarthy through the process of allusion.
“Witch hunt” is a phrase that is not only used to describe the historic Salem Witch Trials, but has also been used to describe more recent historical events. Joseph McCarthy’s hunt for members of the Communist party was often referred to as a “witch hunt”, as a reference to the Salem Witch Trials. Furthermore, Arthur Miller drew inspiration from Joseph McCarthy’s Communist hunts to write his novel “The Crucible”, which takes place in Massachusetts during the time of the Salem Witch Trials. With this knowledge, it is clear that there are many similarities between the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism. However, with the similarities come several obvious differences, such as time period and reasoning for accusations.
Arthur Miller makes many different connections to the acts of Senator McCarthy throughout The Crucible. The Salem Witch Trials display many similarities to the acts of Communism in the 1950’s. First of all, false accusations and accusations made without any hard evidence are seen in both The Crucible and the acts of Senator McCarthy. John Proctor in The Crucible was put accused and put on trial for taking part or concealing witchcraft without any evidence of this actually happening. Just like Proctor, Arthur Miller was accused for being a communist during the McCarthy era, although nothing could prove this.
Both The Crucible and McCarthyism have many similarities that relate them in many ways. They parallel in creating Hysteria, false claims and accusations, as well as crimes that were impossible to be proven. In both the Salem Witch Trials and The McCarthyism Era, people were accusing innocent people for serious crimes. “I did wrong to withhold these names.”
Almost every kid in school has read a passage or a story, and never really understood the purpose of learning the topic in school. The teachers expect us to do the work, and hopefully understand it, but we never truly understand why we learned such a topic or event. The Crucible is a prime example on what students read in school, or why we’re obligated to read the book. The crucible and McCarthyism have many similarities that many people over look, and don’t realize, and connects more than we perceive. Books like the crucible and McCarthy are historical events, many schools have very few books based on historical events, which is why teachers spend more time on them.
McCarthyism played a major role in the creation of The Crucible and many parallels were made between the play and the Red Scare. The Red Scare was a period of heightened fear of the communists going back to the Cold War. The Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism are similar because they both were fueled by fear. The Salem Witch Trials were fueled by fear because everyone thought they would be punished or killed. McCarthyism and the Salem witch hunts had the ability to ruin one’s life through a simple accusation.
While individuals were not executed, victims of the McCarthy era faced severe consequences nonetheless, with over 2,000 losing jobs and reputation. Both those accused of communism and witchcraft were ostracized from their communities, but as those accused of communism had already established themselves, they could still continue their lives elsewhere. McCarthyism and the Salem witch trials both reflected what society feared at the time, but it can be seen how punishments for suspected witches were harsher. In conclusion, although the Salem witch trials and McCarthyism were very different periods of time, they share notable similarities in that of fueling mass hysteria, unjust accusations, and lack of proper
The Crucible and The McCarthy Hearings, as an Allegory The Crucible was a widely-known play that was written in 1953 by the playwright Arthur Miller. It takes place in Salem, Massachusetts of 1692, when the very famous “Salem Witch Trials” were occurring. This play can very well be considered an allegory, as it has both a literal level and a metaphorical level as it compared to the “modern witch hunt” that occurred during the Red Scare, when people were afraid of communism entering the United States. On one hand, the play is simply a partially-fictionalized tale of a city overcome with suspicion and fear, but on the other hand, it has a deeper meaning that relates back to the current events of the author’s time
In the play, The Crucible, Salem, Massachusetts, along with the United States during McCarthyism, is engulfed with paranoia. Although both situations include different causes, their effects are strikingly similar. For instance, throughout The Crucible, Abigail Williams is being shown repeatedly accusing innocent people of witchcraft. Her actions begin sending the small town into a panic as they throw people into jail and hang them in an effort to try and cleanse the town from any aspect of evil. Similarly, throughout 1950-1954, Joseph McCarthy falsely accused people within the United States Government of being a member of the Communist party.
When people are placed under an intense feeling of fear, they begin to commit actions they never thought they were capable over. In The Crucible by Arthur Miller, a young group of girls commit witchcraft which eventually leads to the arrest of over 100 women. This is similar to a time in the 1950s when Joseph McCarthy accuses government officials of communism and that ultimately leads to hundreds of citizens losing their jobs. The Crucible reveals the similarities between The Salem Witch Trials of the 1690s and McCarthyism of the 1950s because it demonstrates how a society can be tremendously impacted by the feeling the fear.
“The Crucible” is a 1953 play criticizing the events of the Salem witch trials that happened in 1692. Many characters betray each other for selfish reasons. This play is a metaphor for the Red Scare where many Americans were accused of being spies. Arthur Miller uses guilt to show Salem’s disloyalty and backstabbing ways. As characters begin to feel guilty, they lie.
Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible in 1953. He wrote this because he wanted to attempt to capture a connection between his experiences and the Salem witch trials of 1692. He wanted to spread his message of the Communist “witch- hunts” during the 1950s. Joseph McCarthy imprisoned anyone that was a suspect of being a communist. Miller was accused of being a communist because he was a jewish man, with a political advocate against the inequalities of race in America.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller uses the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692 to criticize anti-communist witch hunts. The Crucible serves as an allegory representing McCarthyism in the 1950’s where many people were accused of being part of the Communist party and supporting them. The paranoia surrounding the witchcraft trials in Salem Village in the Massachusetts Bay Colony paralleled McCarthyism. In the Salem Village, people were accused of being in compact with the devil and the only way to get out of the accusation was to accuse others of the same crime. Henceforth, the theme of integrity and morality is tested for each character throughout the play.
The Crucible is a play about the Salem witch trials, written as an allegory for McCarthyism and the Red Scare in the 1950s America. It follows characters through lies, hypocrisy, and false allegations of witchcraft, and explains how human nature caused a witch hunt. The Abigail’s attempts to save her own reputation is contrasted with Elizabeth’s desire to save her husband’s reputation after their affair. In the end, both efforts to uphold reputations have detrimental results. Arthur Miller is criticizing the outrage an unnecessary obsession with one 's reputation can cause, including lies, deceit, and
The Crucible is a book that is set in a very eventful time in history. It is set during the famous witch trials and has many twists and turns in the storyline. Many people are being falsely accused of witchcraft and many were afraid. The higher social class you were the lower chance you would be accused, so you could assume common people and peasants/lower class citizens were afraid. The Crucible has many themes that present themselves prominently throughout the book such as reputation, self image, and paranoia.
