Examples Of Allegory In The Crucible

Crucible: a ceramic or metal container in which metals or other substances may be melted or subjected to very high temperatures, a place or occasion of severe test or trial. The word “crucible” has two distinct definitions that are used to define two completely different things. In the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller, Miller uses both definitions to outline the Salem Witch Trials perfectly. Miller named the play The Crucible to represent the permanent scarring, crucial tests, and the destruction of reputation and self-image throughout the Salem witch trials.

The definition of crucible, or at least one of them, is a severe test or trial. This is definitely a fitting name for the Salem witch trials based play, as dealing with the hysteria and unjust courts of Salem is a severe trial in its self. However, the characters were also tested by their own ability to choose between right, wrong, or the most beneficial actions. From the main characters to all of the town’s people, they must all decide between what is best for them or everyone, living in sorrow or dying with honor. The three characters that undergo the most change throughout this play is John Proctor the farmer, Elizabeth whom is John’s wife, and Reverend Hale the supernatural expert.

In The Crucible, Miller wrote about the townspeople of Salem, Massachusetts who experienced their own crucibles on morality. A crucible can not only mean a severe test, but also a container that melts substances at very high temperatures. This meaning still applies to the play

The Crucible is an allegory for McCarthyism because Senator Joseph McCarthy and Abigail Williams from The Crucible were the leaders in the courts, they both ruined many lives, and made false accusations. In the first place, Senator Joseph McCarthy was very crafty and manipulative during the court hearing while he accused people of being Communist becoming a leader. Abigail quickly realized she needed to convince the girls to follow her commands to increase her power, which eventually led to more hangings of innocent people. For example, Abigail threatened the girls to side with her when she stated, “Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about

A crucible has two diverse meanings: a vessel used for melting substances that require a high degree of heat or a severe test or trial. The play, The Crucible, uses both definitions in unison to show the fiery atmosphere of the Salem Witch Trials and the severity of the trials. Three primary characters involved in the scorching environment of the Salem Witch Trials are Elizabeth Proctor, Reverend Hale, and John Proctor. Since The Crucible entitles that people are going to go through a test and receive knowledge from it, these three characters gain the most insight from the trials and tests that they endure.

“Beware of Artists, They mix with all classes of society and therefore are the most dangerous,” reads one of the numerous forms of propaganda distributed by Senator Joseph McCarthy. The following quote was a dominant factor to “The Crucible” itself because the fear of communism personally affected Arthur Miller. The play represents an analogy to the Red Scare in the 1950’s because the Salem witch trials had many similarities to America during this time.

The crucible can definitely be an allegory for the red scare and mccarthyism because of the events that took place, false accusations and letting beliefs take control of the world. In the crucible many people were accused and killed based on the belief that these people were witches and were apart of witchcraft. These people were often falsely accused without evidence at all and still received full punishment. In the mccarthy era Joseph accused many people of being communists. The only problem with this is that joseph had absolutely no evidence to back up his claims. Even though he had no evidence people still got in trouble and punishments included getting deported and sent to prison. It really isn't that hard to see the events in the crucible and the mccarthy era as being very similar.

Arthur Miller used the Salem Witch Trials in The Crucible as an allegory for the mass hysteria he witnessed in his time through McCarthyism and the Red Scare. McCarthyism, named fairly enough after its instigator Senator Joseph McCarthy, swept the nation into a panic during the 1950’s, and ignited a unique witch hunt, though not an unfamiliar one to the American people: a

“You’re a witch,” those words were a death sentence to anyone living in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Arthur Miller vilifies the U.S. government and uses the Salem witch trials as a backdrop for the McCarthy period during the 1940-50’s in America. In the Crucible, Miller uses the salem witch trials as an allegory for the McCarthy trials to show the American public how the government was overstepping peoples civil rights, Miller utilizes anaphora, tone, metaphors, and symbolism to exemplify that an overstepping governing body should be rebelled against.

The Crucible displays an allegory that compares the Salem witch trials to the Hollywood 10.  In the 2010 article, “A Decade of Fear”, Sam Roberts writes, “McCarthy dropped a bombshell: ‘The State Department is infested with Communists . . . a list of names that were made known to. . . being members of the Communist Party.’”  Before saying this, McCarthy’s low status led no one to listen to any of his ideas.  However, after this he took the lead role in the Red Scare.  In this way, McCarthy relates to the girls in The Crucible.  Many of the girls had low eminence in Puritan Salem, but their status grew after they cried witch on the members of their society.  Another comparison can be drawn between the witches of Salem and the Communists in the

There are strong parallels between Arthur Miller's The Crucible and the history it depicts and the reign of terror that the 1950's era of McCarthyism repeated. These two historical events are linked by several commonalities: a lack of intelligent discussion, public hysteria, threats, fear and finally, the presumption of guilt rather than innocence. Miller convincingly uses fiction and dialogue to recreate a very real moment in history, which due to the timing of the play's release may also have been purposely created as a response to the actions of Joseph McCarthy.

A crucible can be defined in two definitions and one being, a piece of laboratory equipment used to hold and heat up liquids. How does this relate to the story? It only relates to science. On the contrary, this definition is relevant to the story. In one of the scenes, Parris and Hathorne are talking about the Salem community and what is happening due to the witchcraft trials. “I’ll tell you what is said here, sir. Andover has thrown the court, they say, and

Joseph McCarthy was a corrupt politician in the 1950s who was credited with starting the red scare. His rise to power solely involved ruining others reputation and career by accusing them to have communist ideals, all of his accusations had little to no evidence, but people were forced to confess or they would be prosecuted. Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” is an allegory for McCarthyism during the red scare due to the near parallel events that confide in the plot and history such the accused confessing to a crime they did not commit to save their life, people rising to power by taking advantage of others, anda accusations having merit with no evidence. “The Crucible” was written in 1952 just two years after the start of the McCarthy era.

“A place or occasion of severe test or trial.” is the most obvious definition the Dictionary gives of the word “Crucible” that would relate to the title of the novel. However not many think to consider the other definition of the word which is “a little ceramic or metal container which is used for the purpose of metals or other substances to be melted or subjected to very high temperatures”. In other words a “Crucible” is a small container which is pact with aggressive results; which fully relates to Salem throughout the witch trials, for it was a tiny village containing violent madness. Nevertheless for the majority of individuals living in Salem, it became a crucible for them if they were ever wrongly accused at the stand of the religious court of being a witch. No confession of an accused individual resulted in being hung. Although one’s life could be secured with a confession, however a life of always being remembered as someone who had the Devil deified. Living beneath such commotion and madness the majority of the characters in the famous drama were enforced to undergo dilemmas, personal motivation, as well as development- that all relate to the title in between the lines of their plots and the general story.

It is a place or occasion of severe tests or trials. There are a lot of “tests” going on in “The Crucible”, the tests to determine who is and who isn’t a witch, the tests to determine one’s standing with the court and the tests of who is and who isn’t telling the truth. Then there are, quite literally, the trials that the accused must undergo. As well as the inner most trials where a character’s beliefs are put to the test. The most notable character who experiences this trial is Reverend Hale; who, after the first batch of hangings commence, escapes into the woods to strengthen his faith in the Lord and in the faith of the court of Salem. Salem metaphorically became a crucible for every instance and procedure experienced throughout the timeline of the