Russias gain of power throughout Eurasia showed off the USSRs strength and abilities, threatening the Western Powers. The Crucible is an allegory to the Red Scare and the Miller depicts this in the play as In 1692 nineteen men and women and two dogs were convicted and hanged for witchcraft (Introduction, pg vii) The quote symbolizes how the accused of both events suffered extreme consequences because of mere accusations that were taken too far. All other trademarks and copyrights are the property of their respective owners. Throughout the Crucible, it explains the ridiculous trials the people went through to try to prove their innocence. This is parallel to the Red Scare because people went to great lengths to prove their innocence of McCarthyism. While being arrested the Proctor's house was searched and asked if she'd had any poppet she had one from earlier, that day that her servant Mary Warren had given to her earlier they found a needle stuck in the stomach earlier that day Abigail had pulled a needle out of her stomach claiming it was Elizabeths spirit Had stabbed her, She was alone when she was supposedly stabbed this proves How bad the credibility of the evidence was. The Salem Witch Trials was a witch hunt in Salem, they hung anybody who they thought were witches. They are both human tragedies that are driven by human fear., In the play The Crucible, Arthur Miller creates a tragic story of the Salem Witch Trials in 1692 which parallel McCarthyism during the 1950s. Also in 1950, the McCarren Internal Security Act was passed by Congress even though President Harry Truman vetoed the bill. WebIs a speech made by the preacher to his people usually about God Fire and brimstone Idiomatic expression for God's wrath Figurative and literal language Concrete and abstract ways of writing Puritanism Reformed Protestants Great Awakening A period where religion was increased and spread Betty Parris Rev. Shortly after the beginning of the Red Scare, a phenomenon which is known as McCarthyism appeared and shaped American politics. Arthur Miller constructs his play upon the famous Salem witch trails. Both McCarthyism and The Crucible are connected because paranoia is evident and innocent people are accused. Miller expresses important messages specifically about injustice, hysteria, and reputation. Miller even uses some of the same characters in his dramatized play that were a part of the original witch trials in Salem. The first reason they are parallel is because of naming names. Similarly, throughout 1950-1954, Joseph McCarthy falsely accused people within the United States Government of being a member of the Communist party. During the McCarthy era people accused would start accusing other people in order to get the attention off of them, because the only way to prove you are not a communist was to name a communist. Playwright Arthur Miller, in researching the Salem witch trials, saw the similarities between the hysteria and fear of the witch trials and the Red Scare of impending communism. Give us your paper requirements, choose a writer and well deliver the highest-quality essay! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! The allegorical suggestion of the The Crucible is that McCarthyism and the Red Scare had only as much validity as a witch hunt. The play's author, Arthur Miller, was himself a victim of Furthermore, the power that is lead to one's head could destroy the thoughts of other about yourself as an individual. The Crucible was seen as a parallel of a modern-day witch hunt, such as McCarthyism. The varying intensity of this emotion can cause people to act or react in ways that may be unusual. WebAll hallmarks of the two major witch hunts in the American past, the Salem Witch Trials and the McCarthy Trials. WebThe Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller in 1952. There were definitely Communists in 1950s America, especially in the Massachusetts bay Area of New England where Salem would have been found, but there was no proof of any real witches or devil-worshipersThe Salem Witch Trials was Millers area of Study as an undergraduate when at the University of Michigan. 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. Through the play, we follow the character, Abigail, observe her actions and their consequences. An allegory is an artistic work or piece of writing that tells one story on the surface but represents a different set of events and teaches a moral or political lesson about those events. Evidence suggests that Miller contributed articles to American Communist Party publications and some of his political beliefs were evident in his plays. The Crucible is an allegory to the Red Scare and the McCarthy era drastically by its plot, characters, and the flow and outcome of the court trials. 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. 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. For a time, he and his House Committee on Un-American Activitieswielded the power to lift up or destroy names, reputations and careers by slinging innuendo and half-truths in the name of national security, a threat McCarthy felt came from the U.S. Communist party (a recognized political group) and its members, et al. 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. Miller, creator of The Crucible was blacklisted, and accused of being a communist along with many other entertainers (Arthur Miller). This was not a war fought on a battlefield, but rather one fought politically and economically. Arthur Miller published the play during Most readers are unfamiliar with McCarthyism. Reverend Parris is also more concerned about his good, than the good for the group. The play was similar to real life events that occurred when McCarthy and the HUAC accused Americans as communists. Parts of this act have been repealed over the years, and most of it is no longer applicable as of the 1990s. The salem witch hunts and the Red Scare caused big problems and death in the U.S. In The Crucible Proctor is accused of doing devil's work, but he made it clear that, He wants his life, and He will have his life. The Crucible and McCarthyism were alike on this situation because if they confessed they would not die but if they didnt they would. Hysteria, paranoia, and delusion was what drove the Salem Witch trials in 1692. In an allegory the character,events, and instances(Definition of Allegory R104). 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. We also saw this type of chaos during the Salem witch trials of 1693. The period in which this anti-communist hysteria occurred was known as the Red Scare. [See this link for an example of an extended metaphor in the epitaph Ben WebThe Crucible: A Witch-Hunt Cautionary Tale. During the 1950s, non evidential claims would be taken seriously. The Crucible is similar to the Red Scare, but is The Crucible an allegory for the Red Scare? These fears came together under the umbrella of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) which had been formed in 1938 to investigate potential communist activity inside the American government. Both the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. had developed nuclear weapons that could devastate each other, not to mention the world as a whole. This act, written by Senator Pat McCarren, one of McCarthy's supporters, required that any organization that was determined to be communist had to register with the Justice Department, made it a felony to try and establish a dictatorship in the United States, and gave the government the ability to arrest anyone whom the president believed to be a spy or a saboteur. 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 Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller in 1953, is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in Massachusetts in 1692. The Crucible is an allegory to the Red Scare and the McCarthy era drastically by its plot, characters, and the flow and outcome of the court trials. Specify your topic, deadline, number of pages and other requirements. In 1692, a fear of witchcraft led to the accusation of over 200 townspeople. 76) This is similar to the events that occurred in the 1950s, with the influence of Communism by the Soviet Union, Americans were hysterical over if one another was a Communist. This essay was written by a fellow student. 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. 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 belief of the integration of Communist spies into the country made the government question the loyalty of Americans. Get unlimited access to over 84,000 lessons. In The Crucible, the group of girls act as the government, jumping on the band wagon when Abigail accused others of. The Crucible is a very significant piece of literature from which many things can be learned. The first time he did not confess and names. The death penalty was the number one difference, along with the after effects of these events and their logic during the time of the occurrences. The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller in 1953, is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch Justice in the court was perverted by fear and delusion (Johnson 9). The Crucible by Arthur Miller is an allegory for Subversive Activities Control Board, The State Department Loyalty Security Board, and Senator Margaret, The Crucible is a play based on a society ruled by theocracy. The basis for The Crucible came from the witch trials which occurred in Salem, Massachusetts during the puritan era. I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil! (Abigail, Act 1, pg. Pointing the finger away from her and on to others. More and more young women began to accuse townspeople of having dealings with the Devil and practicing witchcraft. Arthur Miller published the play during McCarthyism, so when he went to Salem and read the transcripts, he knew something could be made from the transcripts because of its similarity to McCarthyism. 73) This quote elaborates on why the accusers were not suspected, Reverend Parris has a reputation of being a holy man of the church which makes him improbable to witchcraft and Abigail who has kept her reputation clean amidst of all the misdeeds she has done. This began the McCarthy Era, where government workers, artists/actors, and innocent people were accused. In Salem the people accused were tried and Senator McCarthy took advantage by using his status to back up his accusations, McCarthy used hearsay and intimidation to establish himself as a powerful and feared figure in American politics. An allegory is a story with an obvious meaning but if you look deeper into it, there is another meaning. Most readers are unfamiliar with McCarthyism. Miller writes, I want to open myself! The play is based on the fear, suspicion, hysteria and paranoia which the people of Salem felt during the witch hunts. Weba crucible is. Hollywood director Elia Kazan went in front of the HUAC twice. Arthur Miller was a playwright and a political activist speaking up addressing societal issues. An allegory is an extended metaphor in which the characters or objects in the story represent an outside meaning. Arthur Miller's The Crucible tells the story of the Salem Witch Trials, and holds allegorical connections to events surrounding McCarthyism in the 1950s.. Answer and Explanation: Miller felt the best way to express himself is to write The Crucible. So some people will do anything, by any means, to be reputable, this allows their word to be trusted and true. The Crucible is an allegory to the Red Scare for many reasons, but one is that they are both run by lies spread by people to put It is an allegory since it represents the human ideas about there being seven deadly sins and how in politics, people choose the good for one over the good for the group. In The Crucible, what message is Arthur Miller trying to get across to the reader. People take advantage of hysteria when holding onto grudges by spreading lies that will benefit the accuser. On top of this fear of mutually assured destruction, certain parties in the U.S. believed that communist spies and sympathizers had infiltrated all aspects of American life. I have given you my soul; leave me my name! (Proctor, Act 4, pg 130-133). A crucible is a severe test or trial, which is exactly what happens in the play. A quote by Edward R. Murrow states, No one man can terrorize a whole nation unless we are all his accomplices. During the Red Scare, Senator McCarthy did terrorize a whole nation, and Arthur Miller became a victim of McCarthyism. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. In the play, The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, Miller uses allegory to express what he endured through in the 1950s. | 2 Copyright 2022 IPL.org All rights reserved. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education and English and a Master of Arts in Literature from Abilene Christian University. During the red scare people were so afraid of communism, they would give away their rights as humans to let the government to find the communists and in you read books, eh is a prime example of the propaganda and hysteria that went on during the red scare just in The Crucible, by Arthur Miller when all the girls start to act bewitched and start to lie about how whos doing it to try to gain power in the eye of society in Salem and in many ways they did. Mr. Putnam was a greedy man, he's used his daughter Ruth to accuse people to his own profit like stealing land from those who are killed. 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. Did you like this sample? The Crucible, a play by Arthur Miller about the witch trials, is an allegory to the Red scare of the 1950s McCarthy era because of the pointing the finger, evidence used in the trials and abuse of power. Many people were executed by decision of the court because it believed in absurd false allegations. Hysteria is another critical component that causes major complications. Much of the undoing of McCarthyism came at the hands of the Supreme Court. The novel can also be classified as an example of an allegory. Many people lost their jobs, were taken in by law enforcement, and their lives were turned upside down. 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. For instance, throughout The Crucible, Abigail Williams is being shown repeatedly accusing innocent people of witchcraft. Because I cannot have another in my life! He shows through a story that the witch trials were much more than just people calling others witches. Make sure your essay is plagiarism-free or hire a writer to get a unique paper crafted to your needs. Witch hunt, such as what is the crucible an allegory for appeared and shaped American politics Senator McCarthy did terrorize a whole unless. Because if they didnt they would McCarthy trials this anti-communist hysteria occurred was known as McCarthyism through the was! 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