Examples Of Allegory In The Crucible

In the play, The Crucible, Arthur Miller is showing how history may repeat itself through his article on McCarthyism, “Are You Now Or Were You Ever”. The Crucible proves a fitting allegory for the Red Scare by highlighting societal actions characteristic to both events: the snowball effect, blind obedience to authority, and damaged reputations. Damaged reputations is a fear that is shared in The Crucible and during the Red Scare. During the Red Scare hinting at any communists remarks raised questions. When Miller was joking about communism, his lawyer began to question his motive. Miller said, “ I Started to laugh until I saw the constraint in my lawyer’s face, and I quickly sobered up,” (“Are You Now” 4). Miller realized he was not speaking

Miller said,”The quickness with which Soviet-style regimens had taken over… I believe it stirred up fear in Americans of our own ineptitudes, our mystifying inability, despite our military victories, to control the world...” (“Are You Now” 2). Through these advancements that communists have taken and the doubt they had in their “own ineptitudes”, fear of spies living among pushed citizens to become more aware of communism around them and throw unsensible false accusations. This is similar to how the citizens of Salem accused one another due to their fear of being hung. Throughout the witch trials of Salem in 1692, rumors of the Devil afflicting people through witches that were in Salem and those witches being hung caused an uproar. As neighbors would notice things about each other, accusations would arise, and everyone would deflect accusations against them because they did not want to be persecuted and then hung. When Mary Warren is being cornered by the Court, Abby, and the Girls, she defends herself and turns on Proctor. Mary hysterically screams, “ My name, he want my name. ‘I’ll murder you,’ he says, ‘if my wife hangs! We must go and overthrow the court,’ he says!” (The Crucible 119). This false accusation that Mary Warren pulls out on Proctor is an example of the snowball effect, as Mary warren comes into the court with Proctor to accuse Abby, but fails

While researching into the Salem witch trials, Miller found out that “every authority not only confirmed the existence of witches but never questioned the necessity of executing them.”(“Are You Now” 3). While Miller was studying the Salem of 1692, he discovered how the hierarchy in Salem “confirmed the existence of witches” and the people of of Salem had to look up to the authority, because judges and ministers were deemed the physical carriers of God’s judgement. If they questioned the authority, it would be like defying God, which is why they they had to turn a blind eye and conform. This exhibition of blind obedience can be comparable to the Red Scare when the government was spreading propaganda. Miller said that “it was precisely the invisibility of ideas that was frightening so many people,”(“Are You Now” 3). Although people during the McCarthyism era did not know why they had to report communists, it was the potential of the “ideas that [were] frightening so many people,” ideas that could hurt the free world that they lived in. These quotes show how in both eras, the people did not know what they were getting into, but they did it anyways because their authority instilled those ideals into them. The same authority that they were taught to look up to because it