In the 1950's, however, people were terrified of the red Communists coming to take over their beloved country. Senator McCarthy was the one taking out other people in the govornment that he suspected to be a communist via inprisonment. The witch trials and McCarthyism started differently as well, for one started with a group of young girls' voodoo practice and the other started when senator McCarthy was trying to win an election and took advantage of the peoples feelings toward the "Red scare." A lot of the evil things McCarthyism did were private and behind closed govornment doors. During the Salem Witch Trials the accused people were forced to make a public confession and be killed in front of their family and friends.
The people of Salem lived in fear of the devil. Paranoia and fear emerged vigorously when talk of witchcraft spread. With such talk of the devil came accusations. People began accusing their neighbors in order to save themselves. “This predilection for minding other people’s business was time-honored among the people of Salem, and it undoubtedly created many of the suspicions which were to feed the coming madness (Miller 4).” * * Hughes 3 * In The Crucible, there are many factors that contribute to the fall of Salem, Massachusetts.
The Crucible by Arthur Miller, written in response to the 1950’s anti-communist actions, is a play that recollects these famous trials. The play, set during the time of the famous witch trials, depicts the lives of the citizens. Throughout the course of the play many of the ideals of Puritanism are broken. These ideals that are violated are lying and adultery, coveting of neighbor’s goods, and envy. The citizens of Salem fail to live up to the Puritan ideals.
The Crucible Aurthur Miller wrote The Crucible as an allegory to the "witch hunts" of the Communist party in the 1950s. Much like Reverend Hale, an expert on witchcraft, Joseph McCarthy turned the blacklist of Communism into fear for many people. An allegory is a written work that tells one story but refers to another. Miller's The Crucible writes of witches and black magic to convey the story of an illegal and frustrating assault upon those who embrace Communism. Miller's literary work exposed both intense and disturbing times in American history.
Abigail new the punishment for the crime of witchcraft was hanging and carried out her accusation so that she and Jon could “dance upon her grave together.”(Act 3) John Proctor is also charged with witch craft; he had a choice of lying about consorting with the devil or keeping his integrity. John Proctor died a positive role model for the community and his children, and went to death with his soul and integrity. Similarity, In “Macbeth” individuals are killed for greed of power. Macbeth makes foolish decisions that lead him to paranoia, grief and his downfall. “Where our actions do not, our fears do make us traitors.” (Act IV, Scene 2) Macbeth’s downfall is attributed to a sense of over-confidence and ambition Macbeth’s destruction.
Arthur Miller highlights these themes by using a range of techniques like melodrama, metaphors and different language methods. Using the historical subject of the Salem Witch trials, Arthur Miller's play (1953) presents an allegory for events in America. The Salem Witch Trials took place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, and were based on the accusations of a 12 year old girl named Anne Putnam. Moreover a man named Samuel Parris leaded the prosecution of many witches in Massachusetts, 19 people were hanged and one was pressed to death over the following two years. Miller’s play employs these historical events to criticize the moments in humankind’s history.
Reverend John Hale “The Crucible” is a tale of witches, death, greed, lies and infidelity. In “The Crucible,” by Arthur Miller, it plays out the events of the witch hunt trials in Salem, Massachusetts, during the spring of 1692. Led by seventeen-year-old Abigail Williams, a group of young girls claim to have been bewitched by members of the town. With only the testament of the “afflicted” girls, people are accused and forced to either confess to witchcraft or be hanged. By the time it is all over, countless numbers of people are accused and nineteen men, women, and children, are hanged.
Firstly, the literal meaning is a container that is capable of sustaining extremely high temperatures. But, the “high temperatures” can be related to the high levels of hysteria in this time period. The town of Salem holds it all in. An example of this when Elizabeth Proctor had to lie about the adultery between her husband, John Proctor, and Abigail Williams. She thought if she could lie
The Crucible- Interpretation In my opinion, The Crucible is a startling outlook on how lies, lack of understanding and hysteria can rip a society apart. Miller uses The Crucible to express his critical view on the McCarthy movement, in which many innocent people, communist or not, were victimised by his brutal campaign. In addition, I feel there is a slight criticism of religious based communities, and how even the worthy (John Proctor) can make sinful mistakes and fall from the path of god. I feel Miller is trying to express that sometimes religious teachings can be interpreted in the wrong way, and as a result have drastic results. In relation to my own practical explorations, I had many idea’s and interpretations of the scene where
In that era, Arthur Miller was one of the many victims who were taken in by Senator McCarthy but was one of many victims that were known as a communist sympathiser. Not only did he not accuse anyone, Arthur Miller expressed his views of the whole situation in a play he wrote, ‘The Crucible’ and put his career in jeopardy as he was blacklisted and threatened with conviction. Arthur Miller chose to uphold his integrity rather giving in into any threats. From his instance with conflict, while still being bad, it brought the best out of Miller in him as a person. In writing about the conflict between demands for social conformity and individual freedom that Miller faced, he created The Crucible to parallel his own time.