Arthur Miller, the writer of the play The Crucible, made a story that is based off of real events in 1692 that draws comparisons to McCarthyism. The characters of Salem are quick to follow behind people in authority even if what they are saying might not be a smart decision in most circumstances. People such as Danfourth, Parris, and Putnam all have a significant amount of power in the town. Danfourth, the judge, seems to have the opinion that anyone that is called out as a witch is most likely a witch. You can ether admit to being a witch or get hanged. He says to John Proctor that he admits to being a witch or Danfourth “cannot keep him from the rope. Danfourth is the judge of the witch trial court and can send people that in a normal court
The Crucible and McCarthyism are not all that different. They were both very dangerous and evil events that have happened, which have ruined many people. In The Crucible, There were many people that were trying to save themselves or another person by using others. John Proctor’s wife Elizabeth was accused and sent off to sit in jail until she hangs or confesses. John did not want his innocent wife to be hung for something she did not do.
Hysteria, paranoia, and delusion was what drove the Salem Witch trials in 1692. Many people were executed by decision of the court because it believed in absurd false allegations. Justice in the court was perverted by fear and delusion (Johnson 9). In the 1940s and 1950s, many people in the United States were living in fear of communism; similar to those who feared “witches” in Salem. In the 1953, Arthur Miller came out with a play: The Crucible based on the Salem Witch Trials tackling McCarthyism; accusing others of being communists trying to overthrow democracy in the United States (9-10).
Maria Evans Mrs. Busick English 3 03 February 2023 The Crucible & McCarthyism: What are the parallels? Have you ever been so wrapped up in hysteria and fear that you end up doing things that you would normally consider irrational, extreme, and completely against your values? This situation was perfectly played out in The Crucible based on the Salem Witch Trials in 1692 and the McCarthy Era in the United States in 1953. The Crucible was a book written by Arthur Miller, dramatizing the Salem witch trials in Massachusetts.
Tony Reynolds-Villegas Mrs. Howard Period 3rd May 23, 2023 McCarthyism in The Crucible Arthur Miller’s book The Crucible is an incredible representation of McCarthyism. Arthur Miller represents McCarthyism using religion. The Crucible, a book based on the Salem Witch Trials is used to showcase McCarthyism, which is a idea in which people are accused without any evidence. McCarthyism happened during the second red scare which was people of democracy against communism, or in The Crucible religion against witchcraft.
When Miller writes the novel, he is not just writing about the Salem Witch Trials. Miller is writing about McCarthyism and communists, too. McCarthyism is like the Salem Witch Trials in the aspect that it is corrupt and people start accusing innocent people. In McCarthyism, McCarthy decides that people are communists if they show signs of being “UnAmerican.” Then, he encourages people to report anyone that they suspect are communists.
In The Crucible, a story written by Arthur Miller in the early 50’s, the town of Salem is exposed to a horrific witch hysteria caused by the town’s grudges, and rivalries towards each other. These events are caused by a group of girls who get caught in an awful situation, and lied about witchcraft in order to get away. With these girls new power they, and many others used this to get revenge on those who have wronged them. So the village goes around making false accusations against innocent members of the town. In total, nineteen lives were lost to the towns selfish/unfair actions.
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.
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 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.
In history there have been many major events that have shaped the times we live in. Two of the major events of our time are the "witchunts" of the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism. The Crucible is a 1953 play by American playwright Arthur Miller. It is a drama and fictional story of the Salem Witch Trials that took place in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during 1692-1693. Miller wrote the play as a parable for McCarthyism, when the United States government ostracized people for being communists.
McCarthy and a Witch As high schoolers, students learn about the world of politics in their history courses. Makes since, right? Well, there is also a great deal of politics in English, though it is brilliantly hidden in the eloquent writings that are studied. A perfect example of this undercover political lesson can be found in Arthur Miller's, The Crucible; a brilliant piece of work that parallels the historical havoc of the Salem Witch Trials to the Red Scare of the 1950’s.
McCarthyism and The Crucible Comparison (Act III and IV) After finishing The Crucible, it is certain to believe why Arthur Miller, who was one of the people blacklisted, wrote this novel in response to the McCarthyism. In the Act III of the Crucible, Miller subliminally incorporate events during the times of McCarthyism into his book. One notable example is when he writes how John Proctor is trying to overthrow the court in Salem in response to witchcraft. Procor provides new evidence such as a testament that state that Rebecca Nurse and Martha Corey are good wholesome people based on ninety one people’s signatures.
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.
In Arthur Miller 's play The Crucible, false accusations and fear are used to imprison and kill many people accused of being witches. In this way, The Crucible stands as an allegory for McCarthy 's communist hunt, during which many people were also killed and imprisoned due to accusations of communism. By comparing McCarthyism to the Salem Witch Trials, Miller is able to communicate that people should not conform to societal trends because these trends may be misleading and cause innocent people to get hurt. Many characters in The Crucible serve as allegories to McCarthy 's communist hunt, specifically Abigail Williams, Giles Corey, and Betty Parris.
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.