Similarities Between The Salem Witch Trials And The Crucible

When searching for historical lessons on mass paranoia and how it shapes a society, look no further than the Salem witch trials. The Salem witch trials, which took place in colonial Massachusetts between 1692 and 1693, led to the accusation of witchcraft among over 200 people and the execution of 20. The seed of paranoia was planted in Salem and no one was safe from the village’s extreme behavior. However, the seed of paranoia is not restricted to Salem, Massachusetts. Mass paranoia has been present in other times of United States history. Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, a play about the Salem witch trials, parallels well to McCarthyism of the 1950’s. The Salem witch trials and the McCarthy trials both highlight how people utilized mass paranoia

The young girls who were responsible for starting the witch-hunt in Salem made outlandish claims against some women in the village, stating that they were practicing witchcraft. They shouted out names and accusations, but not a single one of their claims was based on solid evidence. The only evidence they held was spectral evidence, which the judges allowed saying “it’s hard proof, hard as rock” (55). Much of the spectral evidence was also planted evidence, such as the needle stuck in Goody Proctor’s poppet which Abigail claims harmed her (71). Similarly, Senator Joseph McCarthy, the namesake for McCarthyism, made unsubstantiated accusations and claims about American citizens being communists or communist supporters, causing Americans to distrust and fear one another. McCarthy “was notoriously difficult on writers and entertainers, many of whom were labeled communist sympathizers and were unable to continue working” (Arthur Miller, Elia Kazan and the Blacklist: None Without Sin”). Both the Salem witch trials and the McCarthy trials “could often destroy a career [or life] with a single unsubstantiated accusation” (Arthur Miller, Elia Kazan and the Blacklist: None Without Sin”). These unsubstantiated accusations and claims in both instances were used as a catalyst for furthering hidden

In The Crucible, Reverend Hale and Tituba have a scene akin to sex where Hale teases Tituba into giving up names of other witches saying she is “chosen to help [them] cleanse [the] village” (44). Tituba, as a result of this sexual teasing to release names, gains the satisfaction of no longer being the sole person accused of witchcraft in Salem. The accused witches of Salem do end up offering other names as a way to save their own lives. Proctor insists, however, that they “will swear to anything before they’ll hang” (65). In the case of the McCarthy trials, those who were accused of communism, specifically in the entertainment business, “were jailed for refusing to give the names of other communists” (“Arthur Miller, Elia Kazan, and the Blacklist: None Without Sin”). Due to the pressure applied to the accused, seemingly random names were offered up, causing an even greater number of innocents to be