Why We Lie : The Implications of Miller’s Writings Alan Turing generally did not care what people thought about him throughout his life. He was seen as an outcast due to his incredible intelligence and social awkwardness. He never tried to hide this, and other than occasional ridicule, it did not affect him and he managed to lead a successful life. However, when he came to terms with the fact that he was not one who could be labeled as heterosexual, he hid it. It would seem that this was just another one of his quirks, and for all matters, it was, except in the matter of legality. Being a socially awkward genius was not illegal. However, at this time in Britain, homosexuality was. Therefore, hiding it was essential to leading a safe life. When his sexuality became publicly known, he faced prosecution and punishment that essentially lead to his death. After learning this, one can see why Alan would lie and keep this secret. The same can be said of Mr. Miller and the characters in The Crucible. The reason one lies is to be accepted, and while this is not a commendable action, it is a necessary one. This ideal is revealed in Arthur Miller’s reluctance to publish The Crucible due to communist prosecution …show more content…
However, he ended up having trouble publishing the play due to the scrutinous political environment of the time. Miller states, “so many practices of the Salem trials were similar to those employed by congressional committees that I could easily be accused of skewing history for a mere partisan purpose.” (Why I Wrote 3). Here Miller starts to wonder if the truth could hurt him. He considers if publishing his play will get him in trouble. He is not so much lying as he is holding back, but nevertheless, the truth is not explicitly stated by Miller for quite some time. Miller feared not being accepted, so he held back the