Epiphany Of Fear Research Paper

The Epiphany of Fear

It is only human nature to succumb to and delve into the knowledge of the unknown or of

foreign threats towards ones safety. It is this prime example of mass illusion that overtook the

U.S. in the late 1940 's to early 1950 's with the panic induced by the Red Scare just as centuries before

innocents were hung upon the gallows of Salem by those who let fear guide their actions. In response

to this plague that was overtaking the U.S. “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller was born. Arthur Miller

was a famous playwright whom had written and produced several famous plays in the United States

with at the time at his most famous being “Death of a Salesman”. Troubled by the recent events

occurring in the U.S. with the alienation and branding of innocents as

The Trials of 1692 were a perfect way for Miller to express his thoughts about the hunt for

communists in the U.S. as Americans let fear control them causing fellow neighbors to suspect each

other and ignore one another 's civil rights and as stated by History.com “ the Red Scare – is often cited

as an example of how unfounded fears can compromise civil liberties”(History.com “Red Scare”) .

The attitude of the 50 's also helped to play a vital part in how Miller came to choose to write about the

trials as Americans branded communists were as stated by History.com “hounded by law enforcement,

alienated from friends and family and fired from their jobs.”(History.com “Red Scare”), Miller lived in

a world that was teetering on the edge of fear. His writings about the Salem Witch Trials expressed

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just how fear of the unknown can influence and cause people to commit atrocities which can lead to

the persecution of innocents. However, it may have been the fear developed inside of those who