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Similarities Between The Crucible And The Great Gatsby

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Recommended: American culture in the 1920s

Time Period In Literature The time period in which a book is written or set in is a very influential factor in determining how it is perceived. It is important in all three of the works How The World Was Made, The Crucible, and The Great Gatsby. How The World Was Made is an early Native American myth which follows creation of the earth and its inhabitants. The Crucible was written by Arthur Miller in 1952 during the Red Scare, in which he related the fear of communism to the paranoia of witches during the Salem Witch Trials, almost 300 years prior. Lastly, The Great Gatsby was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald during the 1920s. It is set in this time period as well. It reflects America during the 1920s and follows the decline of the …show more content…

During this time, there was a widespread fear of communism throughout American society. Neighbors would turn in and arrest neighbors. Someone even accused Miller of being communist! Miller felt that once again, America was on a witch hunt- but this time, it wasn’t for witches. The time period of The Crucible and the Red Scare have many similarities, mainly being the attack on the innocent, damnation without concrete evidence, and mass hysteria and fear. During the 1690s in Salem, the ultra-devout community purged itself of anyone accused of being a witch. If a group of little girls so much as mentioned your name, even without evidence to back themselves up, you would be tortured or killed. Again, neighbor turned against neighbor and paranoia spread. “There is a misty plot afoot so subtle we should be criminal to cling to old respects and ancient friendships. I have seen too many frightful proofs in court- the Devil is alive in Salem, and we dare not quail to follow wherever the accusing finger points!” (Miller, 68). Spoken by Rev. Hale, who was supposed to be saving the town of Salem, this quote shows what a downward spiral the community was on, and how its citizens were mindlessly turning against each other without even slightly questioning their crazy

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Miller crafted the crucible as an allegory, because at the village was going through McCarthy Era, which lead to communism. He basically put himself in John Proctors point of view and created a play talking about how women were being accused of being witches with no proof and being killed. That is exactly how communism worked, if the government though there was anything sneaky the personwould be sent to jail. The witches signified as the communist. When John proctor is having an affair with his wife, he sees the wrong being done, becauase at this point Abigail starts to accuse Proctors wife of being a witch and he realizes that hes trying to defened her and tries to defend his wifes name.

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He was explaining how if anyone stood up to the witch trials in Salem, 1600s they would face immediate arrest, the hardest interrogation and possibly even the rope. People who were even thought to be communists would be trialed with un-American activities. Miller wouldn’t have written The Crucible if he wasn’t trialed on un-American activities. Witchcraft is the beliefs and practicing of magic spells to create unnatural happenings. A crucible is a metal container that is used to melt metals and separate valuable metals from the less valuable ones, it can also be a severe test of life.

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Cameron Oldfield Mrs. Brincks English III 15 November, 2015 The Crucible and Red Scare Imagine being thrown in jail, blamed for something that you didn't do .The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is a story about how certain propaganda and false accusations can ruin lives, just like in the case of the Red Scare. Although 1692 the Salem witch trials and the Red Scare were over 200 years apart, The similarities are striking. both trials used intimidation, fear, hatred, and false accusations to ruin innocent lives. Both trials resulted in terrible outcomes, with both ending with innocent people being put to death and shunned from society.

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“I tell you what is said here, sir. Andover have thrown out the court, they say, and will have no part of witchcraft. There bea faction here, feeding on that news, and I tell you true, sir, I fear there will be riot here” (Miller 127). The Crucible and the real events of the Salem Witch Trials are similar because they both are based on the same event: The Salem Witch Trials.

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696 Words | 3 Pages

Both events occurred around the 1950’s. The Crucible was a play written by Arthur Miller that was related to the movement led by Senator Joe McCarthy. Trying to seek and identify members of the communist party, a movement that hunted and ruined innocent people’s lives. When it came to the Witch Trials even if you were accused of witchcraft you

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Also, since The Crucible was written to be parallel to McCarthyism, the same idea is shown. The same situation can be seen in The Crucible as Arthur Miller was influenced by the events that occurred during McCarthyism. In the Crucible, anyone whose name that had been mentioned underwent an investigation and was asked to prove that they were not partaking in witchcraft. Because this task was impossible, the court made rash decisions such as sending people to jail or sentencing them to be hanged. This scenario is seen in the crucible when Rebecca Nurse is accused.

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906 Words | 4 Pages

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.

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In both The Great Gatsby and The Crucible, the authors delve deeply into the constructs of American society through the characters lives as they are influenced by social constructs and other’s moral values. From the extravagant Jazz age in Fitzgerald’s work to the hysteric times of the Salem witch trials, it is evident that the relentless prioritization of personal ambitions inevitably leads to moral decay and collective chaos. By evaluating these texts together, the continuous moral corruption that has persistently influenced American society throughout history becomes even clearer. The character’s in the Great Gatsby are constantly modifying their actions in order to conform to societal constructs built by the egotistical people around them. For example,

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Reasons Behind The Crucible Arthur Miller’s main purpose in writing The Crucible was to show the similarities between the Salem Witch Trials and the McCarthy Trials and to warn against government propaganda. At the time that The Crucible was published, America had a huge fear of communism. Anyone accused of having ties with the communist party was shunned. It much resembled the Salem Witch Trials in how the government, or leader of the time, used fear against the people to gain power. For example, Joseph McCarthy can be compared to Reverend Parris in how they both lead the people into the belief that there were intruders in their mists that had plans to sabotage the community.

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The Salem witch trials proved to be one of the most cruel and fear driven events to ever occur in history. Many innocent people were accused of witchcraft, and while some got out of the situation alive not everyone was as lucky. Arthur Miller the author of The Crucible conveys this horrific event in his book and demonstrates what fear can lead people to do. But the reason as to why Arthur Miller felt the need to write The Crucible in the first place was because the unfortunate reality that history seemed to have repeated itself again. In the article “Are You Now or Were You Ever”, Arthur Miller claims that the McCarthy era and the Salem witch trials were similar and he does this through his choice of diction, figurative language, and rhetorical questions.

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Arthur Miller constructs his play upon the famous Salem witch trails. Miller's Crucible was written in the early 1950s. Miller wrote his drama during the brief reign of the American senator Joseph McCarthy whose bitter criticized anti- communism sparkled the need for the United States to be a dramatic anti- communist society during the early tense years of the cold war. By orders from McCarthy himself, committees of the Congress commenced highly controversial investigations against communists in the U.S similar to the alleged Salem witches situation. Convict communists were ordered to confess their crime and name others to avoid the retribution.

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The witches are on the hunt for the innocent souls of Salem with Hale stating, “The Devil is alive in Salem, and we dare not quail to follow wherever the accusing finger points” (Miller 1251). Hale is determined to use God’s mighty hand against the “evil witches”. This shows that Hale is faithful to Abigail’s accusations against the common people of Salem. At first, Reverend Hale is eager to prosecute, but as more innocent people are condemned, his compliance turns into distaste. His dissatisfaction eventually turns into rage when Hale shouts, “I denounce these proceedings!”

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Miller believed that there was an “element of the marvelous in it” that he had to make into a play (Miller 96). Since there was so much going on in America with mass panic, it made Miller think of other points in history when Americans were put into a great panic over something so inane. He had studied witchcraft slightly in college, so once he went back to it and read a book by  Charles W. Upham he “knew (he) had to write about the period” (Miller 96). Once Miller had researched enough about the people surrounding the events, he began writing. The witch trials are a perfect comparison to the HUAC trials of Miller’s time.

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957 Words | 4 Pages

In colonial America, Puritan society was a theocracy, which means there was no separation of church and state. The Ten Commandments prescribed the proper decisions for the society, and the Puritans took religion extremely seriously. Whenever such a great societal emphasis is placed on religion, people have the tendency to believe the citizens live out perfect lifestyles. In the case of The Crucible by Arthur Miller, however, human nature became an overwhelming force and sin reigned supreme. Miller formulated this particular play to outline the toll that an emphasis on perfection has on a society.

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1391 Words | 6 Pages

James Truslow Adams defines the American Dream as the “dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement” (The American Dream). An idea sought after by millions of people is the American Dream; they believe there is a reward for hard work and that that reward is happiness and prosperity. The Great Gatsby, Of Mice and Men, and The Crucible are all works, which portray the pursuit and destruction of the American Dream. Jay Gatsby’s American dream was to marry the woman he loved. This is evident throughout the novel; Gatsby is determined to transform his life from dirt to diamonds all to be a suitable man for Daisy.

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