During the Salem Witch Trials, according to Arthur Millers play The Crucible and the Red Scare, it focused on how much power a character could have, and that one character also can lead to convincing the community to be with them or against their personal thoughts. Arthur Miller is a commonly-known playwright, most famous for his 1953 play, The Crucible. For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as Latest answer posted April 01, 2021 at 3:01:06 PM. WebThe Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller in 1952. After The Crucible was published, Arthur Miller himself was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee and was asked about his activities writing for the American Communist Party. With our Essay Lab, you can create a customized outline within seconds to get started on your essay right away. The Crucible by Arthur Miller is an allegory for the Red Scare on the McCarthy era because in The Crucible multiple people were incorrectly blamed for being witches just like in the Red Scare where people were incorrectly blamed for being communists, in both The Crucible and the Red Scare approximately everyone believed, Erin Sheehy The allegorical meaning of the Crucible is that it can be a representation of the Red Scare, the HUAC, and McCarthyism., History is a "chronological record of events." There were many differences and similarities between these two topics. The varying intensity of this emotion can cause people to act or react in ways that may be unusual. It has been proven that Arthur changed the story on purpose to use it as an allegory for the anti-communist Red Scare to get across to the government of what they were actually doing. The Crucible is an allegory for McCarthyism and the Red Scare of the early 1950s. Our writers can help you with any type of essay. An allegory is a story with two levels of meaning- literal and symbolic. In 1956, when Miller applied for a new passport, he was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee to testify about his activities related to communism. In order to emphasize Reverend Hales credibility, Miller writes, He has much experience in all demonic artsHe has indeed; and found a witch in Beverly last year, and let you remember that. (Act 1, pg. The witch-hunt was a perverse manifestation of the panic which set in among all classes when the balance began to turn toward greater individual freedom (Miller, 16). A fire, a fire is burning! What the Red Scare and The Crucible have in common is that accusations of witchcraft or communism were false, people were blind to the truth, and the accusers werent very tactful and. What Miller is trying to say in The Crucible is that he is against condemning others with no legitimate reason. succeed. Abigail and a number of the other girls in town are seen common dancing as the girls claim, when they were actually casting spells and love potions. Our writers will help you fix any mistakes and get an A+! The hysteria induced by the thought that witches were in Salem spread throughout the community like a disease. Much of my desperation branched out, I suppose, from a typical Depression-era traumathe blow struck on the mind by the rise of European Fascism and the brutal anti-Semitism it had brought to power. (Miller). Furthermore, the power that is lead to one's head could destroy the thoughts of other about yourself as an individual. Most readers are unfamiliar with McCarthyism. Rebecca is also accused and her husband Francis cannot believe that she is charged, For murder, Rebecca is charged, the marvelous and supernatural murder of Goody Putnams babies. During the witchcraft hysteria and McCarthyism people would look for any reason to accuse someone and to have someone to blame for, An allegory is a story, poem or picture that can be interpreted to reveal a hidden meaning, typically a moral or political one. One way in [] Find Free Essays WebThe Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller in 1952. It also gave many an excuse to act on personal grudges bore with one another., In literature alone, there are many stories that have been categorized as allegories due to messages or lessons that are implied in the writing. This sentence illustrates that the witch-hunt was the product of mass-panic, just as the hunt for communists, The McCarthyism period took place during the 1950s when The Crucible was written by Arthur Miller. In Salem the people accused were tried and He uses the scenes and characters to represent the real-life occurrences. Events like the people who were hanged, and people were accused of being witches were similar to blacklisted, The Crucible Analysis Paper Following WWII and the rise of communism in China and Korea, Americans feared the influence of communist spies and sympathizers. The general outline of the play corresponds to the events of the Witch Trails of Salem in 1692., It was a time of military and political tension between the United States capitalists and the Soviet communists. He witnessed a trusted figure to lay accusations on people. Miller, in comparison, does a replication of what Proctor does to save his friends, in the face of losing everything. An allegory refers to the story that possesses an obvious meaning but with other hidden connotations. Miller shares that themes of paranoia and vengeance continue on even as society progresses, and presents The Crucible as an example to shed light on issues inherent with using accusations to gain power. The Crucible by Arthur Miller is based on the true events of the Salem witch trials. People take advantage of hysteria when holding onto grudges by spreading lies that will benefit the accuser. WebThe Crucible: A Witch-Hunt Cautionary Tale. Arthur Miller was soon later accused by the McCarthy led HUAC. Miller felt a state of depression as he wrote in the New Yorker, The Crucible was an act of desperation. When Miller wrote The Crucible, it was his way of expressing himself and how he felt during the McCarthy Era. Government officials, actors, professors, scientists, and authors all came under the scrutiny of his "witch hunt" for communist spies in America. Don't know where to start? Arthur Miller wrote this play to symbolize 1950s McCarthyism. Log in or sign up to add this lesson to a Custom Course. The crucible was a tragedy because almost the whole town was accused of being a witch or having dolls in their homes which made then think they were doing something with the dolls to harm someone else. This is almost identical to what happened in America in the 1950s. Eisenhower explained that the constant pressure and anxiety of being called to testify about false accusations of communist associations prevented the efficient functioning of the executive branch of the U.S. Government. They are accused of witchcraft, but they claim, She was also in the woods, casting spells that Abigail wanted, when she is accused of calling the devil, she claims the devil came to her and forced her to sign his book with 4 other names. The anti-communist movement reached its peak in February 1950, when Senator Joseph McCarthy capitalised the fear by claiming he had a list of more than 200 communists working inside the American government. The Salem Witch Trials and the 1950s Red Scare are easily relatable considering that the two events killed several innocent lives, when that individual did nothing wrong. The belief of the integration of Communist spies into the country made the government question the loyalty of Americans. McCarthyism & The Crucible by Arthur Miller | History, Impact & Analysis, Symbols in The Crucible by Arthur Miller | Examples & Analysis, The Crucible by Arthur Miller | Literary Themes & Analysis, Mrs. Dalloway: Analysis of Characters and Style, Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man: Character & Epiphany, The Crucible by Arthur Miller | Summary, Quotes & Themes. Clearly, Senator McCarthys greed for political power led to American citizens unrest. The demand to name other collaborators is a direct reference to the Red Scare and McCarthyism. A Major Role in the Crucible John Proctor, John Proctors Pride in the Play the Crucible, The Crucible as an Allegory to McCarthyism, The Crucible as an Allegory of the Witch Trial, Differences between the Crucible Movie and the Play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller: how Abigail Williams Abused her Power, One of the Main Characters in the Play The Crucible. Similarities are shown between McCarthyism and the Salem witch trials in the way Senator McCarthy gained power and control by inducing fear and hatred of communists in America, comparable to the fear and hatred of witches in the late 1600s. Arthur Miller experienced many hardships through the 1950s where he was accused by the HUAC and McCarthy to be a communist sympathizer. This also occurred during 1692 and 1693, the years of the witch trials. When this was over, the hope would be that nothing like it would ever happen again and nothing like it had ever happened before. your personal assistant! An allegory is a story with two levels of meaning- literal and symbolic. He writes about a character by the name of John Proctor, a sinned man who sacrifices himself in order to save himself, just like how Miller refused to sell out his friends that were possible communists. In this very public moment, Abigail condemns Elizabeth simply by touching her. One example of Abigail's villainy is the scene where her cousin, Betty Parris yells about Abigail having drank blood in the forest. The symbolism used Arthur Millers novel, the Crucible is a fictional play that centers around the Salem Witch Trials. The detail and imagery he shares about films of Senator John McCarthy in his article is intimidating. An allegory is defined as a story, poem, character in a story, or picture with a hidden connotation. Parris' ten year old daughter. The play was similar to real life events that occurred when McCarthy and the HUAC accused Americans as communists. Why did Arthur Miller write The Crucible? Because I lie and sign myself to lies! The Crucible, a phenomenal play, written by Arthur Miller is an allegory to the McCarthy Trials of the 1950s. An allegory is a story with an obvious meaning but if you look deeper into it, there is another meaning. They accepted that the Devil may be among them (Miller, 27) and would do anything to clean the town of such sins. In The Crucible the trials all started with one girl, Abigail Williams and her love for the married man John Proctor. In 1950 Joseph McCarthy had delivered a speech Before the Iowa County women's Republican Club and Wheeling, Virginia waived a piece of paper claiming it was a list of 205 communist working in the state department that list was never found, also the number of names was constantly changing this proves that most of the evidence in both these trials had a little to no, Archetypal Criticism In In The Time Of The Butterflies By Julia Alvarez, What Are The Pros And Cons Of Electric Cars. In both The Crucible and the Red Scare, false allegations increased fear and led to the detainment of many people on unsubstantiated evidence. (Arthur Miller was one of many who came under suspicion.). 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. This pitted South Korea against the communist forces in North Korea. Inspired by reading a detailed account of the events written by Charles W. Upham in 1867, Arthur Miller saw parallels between the hysteria around the Salem witch trials and other public panics in history. The Crucible Study Guide 2022-10-26. Although, many people that were condemned werent actually apart of the Communist Party, (under McCarthyism around 1950-1954) they got blacklisted or lost their jobs. Latest answer posted December 16, 2019 at 7:31:02 AM. In the Crucible there is an allusion to Good vs. Evil. 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