ipl-logo

The Crucible Mccarthyism Essay

1763 Words8 Pages

Unveiling the Critique: “The Crucible” Examination of McCarthyism In Arthur Miller's "The Crucible," the playwright strongly critiques McCarthyism when using the Salem witch trials as a comparison. The author employs historical events to explore the dangers of mass hysteria, abuse of power, and undermining of individual liberties. Miller's play tends to extend beyond its historical context, offering an influential allegory for the anti-communist witch hunts of the 1950s known as McCarthyism. An examination of parallels between the Salem witch trials and McCarthyism, "The Crucible" serves as a powerful commentary on the destructive consequences of political paranoia and the suppression of dissent. By delving into the themes of truth, justice, …show more content…

2018, p. 28). Questions the inclusion of personal political views within the narrative, suggesting a nuanced approach to understanding Miller's Marxist views. Kolt (Year) focuses on the operatic potential of the play, highlighting its thematic richness encompassing politics, religion, and personal redemption. Through these diverse perspectives, "The Crucible" emerges as a powerful commentary on the enduring relevance of its themes and the importance of remaining vigilant against injustice in any era. So what is the difference? The various discussions surrounding "The Crucible" is its enduring relevance and multifaceted nature as a work of literature, why is there a need to point this out? While rooted in the historical context of the Salem witch trials and McCarthyism, the play transcends its period to address universal themes such as truth, justice, morality, and the abuse of power. Through its exploration of binary oppositions, such as truth versus falsehood and justice versus injustice, "The Crucible" invites audiences to reflect on the consequences of mass hysteria and the importance of upholding individual freedoms and …show more content…

And that is what makes the play iconic for speaking out about abuse of power while being a part of the Communist Party in the brief 1940s. In conclusion, "The Crucible" is a timeless masterpiece that transcends its historical context to address universal themes of truth, justice, morality, and the abuse of power. Through its exploration of binary oppositions and examination of political paranoia and manipulation, Arthur Miller's play serves as a poignant commentary on the enduring relevance of history and the imperative to remain vigilant against oppression in any era. As someone who admires Arthur Miller's courage and integrity, I find it particularly admirable that he chose to speak out against McCarthyism despite his previous involvement in the Communist Party. Miller's willingness to confront the injustices of his time, even at great personal risk, underscores the importance of standing up for one's beliefs and fighting against tyranny and

Show More
Related
291 Words | 2 Pages

“The Crucible” was written by Arthur Miller in the 1950’s to show McCarthyism with the use of the Salem Witch Trials as an allegory. Miller used an allegory of the Witch Trials to show another meaning to McCarthyism’s impact. McCarthyism was during the 1950’s that started with Joseph McCarthy that spreads the ideas of mass hysteria and fear of communism. Cite: McCarthyism, witch trials, communism and Joseph McCarthy)

Read More
980 Words | 4 Pages

During the time that Arthur Miller created the Crucible, America was dealing with a very similar problem compared to the Salem witch trails. This problem was called McCarthyism, it was believed that a few hundred communists had entered the country, and they posed a threat to American safety. The accusations of communists in the country caused mass paranoia among the entire United States. Arthur Miller was one of them accused of being a communist and was trialed for it, which most likely lead to the creation of his play the Crucible. After the end of both events - the Salem witch hunt and McCarthyism - the effects afterward left devastating results and lingered for many more years to come.

Read More
1500 Words | 6 Pages

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.

Read More
690 Words | 3 Pages

In the 1940s, America was hysterical over communism with McCarthyism everywhere. Author, Arthur Miller felt that the situation had many similarities to the Salem Witch Trials. In both the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism- fear, hysteria, and danger were common. Miller used his play, The Crucible, as an allegory for McCarthyism to tell one story with an even deeper meaning. Miller stated, “Paranoia breeds paranoia, but below paranoia there lies a bristling, unwelcome truth, so repugnant as to produce fantasies of persecution to conceal its existence.”

Read More
807 Words | 4 Pages

Throughout history the fear of corruption and change has compelled people to go to drastic measures to prevent it. The Crucible, a play by arthur Miller, is set in an environment of religious citizens who fear that the devil and witchcraft will corrupt their society. Much like The Crucible, McCarthyism caused the citizens in America to fear corruption of the government by communism. Arthur Miller used his play the crucible as a direct response to McCarthyism and through this play Miller writes about the Salem witch trials during the McCarthy period to comment on how history repeats itself. The social and political factors in The Crucible resemble those in America during the red scare and McCarthyism.

Read More
672 Words | 3 Pages

Justice cannot be achieved without a fair trial based on evidence. McCarthyism and Arthur Miller's play "The Crucible" are interwoven in history due to their connections to the Red Scare and the fear of communism in the United States during the 1950s. McCarthyism refers to the intense anti-communist movement led by Senator Joseph McCarthy when the government and society engaged in a witch-hunt against suspected communists, often without any concrete evidence, while "The Crucible'' is a story about the witch trials that took place in Salem, Massachusetts in the late 17th century when people where being accused of witchcraft. However, with his play, Arthur Miller is actually trying to show the parallels between the unjust prosecution of so-called

Read More
766 Words | 4 Pages

Miller had been accused of being a communist sympathizer during the Cold War. Miller said in a New Yorker article, “”The Crucible” was an act of desperation.” He then explained that his desperation likely stemmed from his Depression-era trauma. He later said was motivated to write The Crucible because he felt that liberals were afraid to speak out against civil rights violations, because they felt like they would be accused of being a Communist. This is very similar to what was going on during the Salem Witch trials and in the play, with Townsfolk afraid to speak out against the accusations made onto others that hadn’t done anything wrong out of fear that they would then get accused of witchcraft as

Read More
696 Words | 3 Pages

Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible in 1953, as a response to McCarthyism, which is, in general, accusing people of crimes with little to no proof. It ran rampant through the United States during the Second Red Scare through the early 1950s (exactly when Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible). In The Crucible, Miller juxtaposes the leaders, who rationally think for themselves, and the followers, who believe what everybody else believes, through irony, imagery, and denotation. The Crucible is riddled with irony, and Arthur Miller utilizes situational and dramatic irony to show the difference between followers and leaders.

Read More
257 Words | 2 Pages

Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, is a political allegory because it uses characters from the Salem witch trials, such as Reverend Hale, to criticize the uncontrolled use of authority of McCarthy during the era of McCarthyism. In terms of harsh treatment, theocracy, and biased arguments made by people in authority, the McCarthy hearings and the witch hunt share certain historical similarities. For example, in the play Parris and Hale argue, “ Parris: This is a clear attack upon the court! Hale, to Parris, trying to contain himself: Is every defense an attack upon the court?

Read More
719 Words | 3 Pages

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.

Read More
764 Words | 4 Pages

The Crucible, is a story of mayhem, deceits, and riot. It is a classic example of how lust and vengeance affects the reality in which we find ourselves in. In The Crucible, the desire for revenge and the resulting spreading panic led to many innocent deaths. It is written to mirror a world where the fear of communism is so widespread - that citizens are arrested on no-solid grounds, and the disruption of daily life and death are prevalent. In short it is a clear example of McCarthyism – or making accusations without the proper regard for evidence.

Read More
95 Words | 1 Pages

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

Read More
325 Words | 2 Pages

This story is unique in the way that it is that it stays in one setting most of the time The main setting is sunset tower located somewhere in wisconsin along lake michigan it does not give a city the main premise is a game That starts when the inherit of sam westing is argued over and his will says whoever finds the “murderer” will get the inheritance personality the main characters are sketch to say the least and since there's 20 different characters none of them are described very fluently minus turtle personality the descriptions aren't that well any way let's talk plot the plot it starts when mrs wexler moves into sunset towers then “the westing game begins to find a murderer like i said already they share clues Then uncover Westings

Read More
867 Words | 4 Pages

The Crucible by Arthur Miller is based on the true events of the Salem witch trials. Set in the 17th century The Crucible told the story of a town that ensued a hunt for witches, caused by the accusations of Salem 's young girls and their ring leader Abigail Williams. Arthur Miller wrote this play to symbolize 1950’s McCarthyism. Most readers are unfamiliar with McCarthyism. So for a brief explanation, McCarthyism was carried out under senator Joseph McCarthy during 1950-1954 against alleged communist in the US government and in other institutions.

Read More
299 Words | 2 Pages

The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller in 1953, is an allegory that reflects the influence of McCarthyism and the events that took place during Miller’s experience with the House Un-American Activities Committee. In the 1950s, Senator Joseph Mccarthy believed that there were communist spies within America that needed to be investigated and jailed by an organization, HUAC, and to name names. The House Un-American Activities Committee is an organization that sought to expel suspected communists from American society in the late 40s and early 50s, influenced by McCarthy indirectly. This group can be seen as the puritan court in The Crucible which made similar prosecutions to townsfolk in the play by investigating the accused for witchcraft.

Read More

More about The Crucible Mccarthyism Essay

Open Document