How Does Arthur Miller Create Drama and Tension in Act 1 of ‘the Crucible’?

American playwright, Arthur Miller, in his play The Crucible (1952), suggests that witch hunts still exist in American society. Miller supports this claim by drawing parallels between the Salem Witch Trials and the Senator Joseph McCarthy Trials. His purpose is to warn his readers of the dangers of mass hysteria. He uses emotional appeals (pathos) and logic (logos) to convince the reader that mass “hunts” are still a danger to Americans today. The main way, however, that Miller achieves his ultimate goal of demonstrating the dangers of individuality vs. ideology is through the vivid characterization of Mary Warren. Mary Warren is an example of an outwardly conforming character because in the play she tells Abigail that she wants to tell

Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a tragic play set in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts, where Miller uses the Salem Trials as a metaphor for the 1950s McCarthy hearings. In Salem, people value their good names. The Puritan community acts as a theocracy in which there appears to be no right to privacy, and people must conform to a strict moral code. The theme of reputation, lying, and deceit are shown in Abigail, John Proctor, Elizabeth Proctor, Mary Warren, and other characters. In the play’s dialogue, Miller uses Biblical allusions, situational irony, and dramatic irony to develop these themes.

with it." "And I pray you feel the weight of truth upon you, for now

The horrors of history are passed on from generation to generation in hopes that they will never occur again. People look back on these times and are appalled at how horrendous the times were; yet, in the 1950s, history repeated itself. During this time, Joseph McCarthy, a United States senator from Wisconsin, began accusing people of being communists or communist sympathizers, which is parallel to the Salem witch trials in the late 1690s when innocent people were accused of practicing witchcraft. One of the people McCarthy accused was author and playwright Arthur Miller. To express his outrage at McCarthy’s actions, miller wrote The Crucible, intentionally drawing similarities between the McCarthy hearings and the Salem witch trials.

give the name of the witness. In the play, Parris is keen to keep his

Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, is wonderful example of how mass hysteria can spread throughout a small community. The setting of the play is Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 during the infamous Witch Trials. Miller uses these trials and the way they impacted the Salem community as a parallel to the Red Scare of the 1950s. Both time periods show the effect corrupt authorities can have on the lives of others. The author’s most striking commentary is on the role

The girls at the beginning of the play, avoided punishment by accusing others of the very things they were guilty of themselves. This desperate act of self-preservation resulted in the mass paranoia and atmosphere that gripped Salem for the continuance of the witch trials. By allowing audiences to see how dark desires and hidden agendas subsequentially drive people, Miller explores human motivation and the behaviour that results from it. Ironically, it is desire, sexual, material and physical desire that drives the people of Salem. For example, Abigail, full of desire for Proctor, seizes an opportunity to reverse fate and eliminate Elizabeth Proctor, by accusing her of witch craft. Elizabeth was the only person in Abigail’s eyes that was preventing her from marrying Proctor. In addition, Abigail’s status within the community is elevated and she gains power a young woman of her social status could have only dreamt of. Furthermore, the Putnam’s also seize the opportunity the witch trials create. Putnam has a hidden agenda, namely, land lust and his desire to elevate himself within the

In Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” it tells the tale of the Salem Witch Trials. At the time of the play, the McCarthy trials, named after Sen. Joseph McCarthy, were underway. Though, instead of hunting for witches, they were hunting for communists. These two trials may have happened at different points in history, but were in many ways the same. Whether it was death to job loss a lot of lives were changed on account of these trials. “The Crucible” and the McCarthy trials have become historically important because they show the process of power, fear, and turmoil.

The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, was not only a captivating play, but also a platform to fight against the iniquitous force of McCarthyism during the 1950s. Set in Salem, a town in the Province of Massachusetts Bay, the play dramatized the witch trials that brought widespread paranoia during 1692 to 1693. So to no one’s surprise, The Crucible and McCarthyism were juxtaposed. Since Arthur Miller wanted to criticize the acts of Senator Joseph McCarthy, he chose to express specific themes that appeared in both the play’s Puritan setting and in the United States. One of the major themes Arthur Miller wanted to convey through his work is the distrust of nature. In the remainder of this essay, I will be discussing the relationship of this theme to the play’s

The novel, The Crucible was written in 1953 by Arthur Miller, which was based on the Salem Witch Trials existing in the late 1600s. In the play, Abigail and several other young women accuse innocent citizens of Salem for the action of witchcraft. During the trials, many individuals were unfairly persecuted; such as John Proctor. This event in history may be associated with the Red Scare, in which individuals were tried for their questionable influences of communism in the United States. When Miller compares the character of John Proctor to himself, the reader is able to relate the similar experiences that both men faced. The Crucible demonstrates the struggle against corruption involving the court, which lead to the death of many innocent individuals in Salem. The Crucible generates an allegory for Arthur Miller’s struggles with McCarthyism because of his similar experience relating to John Proctor’s battle against the Salem Witch Trials, and the relation between the actions of the court in both situations. Arthur Miller uses several writing methods in order to convey The Crucible as an allegory for his struggles with McCarthyism. Miller demonstrates how the Crucible represents an allegory for his conflict with McCarthyism by relating his experiences with the plot of the novel. Miller relates the novel to his struggles by stating, “Should the accused confess, his honesty could only be proved by naming former confederates.” (Are You Now… 34) Miller is explaining how the court

The play “The Crucible” by Arthur Miller was written in response to McCarthyism in the 1950’s. In 1692 and 1693 the Salem witch trials took place in Salem Massachusetts. Girls believed to be involved in witchcraft were responsible for these trials. In the late 1940’s and early 1950’s senator McCarthy came to office. Senator McCarthy and some of his allies were responsible for hysteria in the United States of America in the 1950’s. The scare was also in result of a communist scare after World War II and leading to the cold war. The behavior of the people of the Salem witch trials and Americans in the 19050’s resulted in a big scare in reaction to hysteria.

In the 1950’s, communism runs rampant in America, people are getting accused left and right for being against America and those who are caught have to name names of those who are also supposed to be communists. The House Of Un-American Activities Committee (H.U.A.C)officials would say, “Tell me who was with you and confess yourself as a communist, or else.” Reflect back to 1692 in Massachusetts, when witches scorn the town of Salem and it seems as if everybody is a witch. Judges would order, “Tell me who you saw with the devil, confess your sins to God and tell us who was with you or be hanged!” There are several parallels between Arthur Miller’s The Crucible and The Red Scare of the 1950’s due to the

During the 1950’s the red scare was a serious concern amongst American citizens, and Senator Joseph McCarthy took full advantage of the situation. “Capitalizing on the concerns of communism, Joseph McCarthy accused that nearly 200 communists had infiltrated congress” (Miller). The antics of McCarthy can help the reader better understand Arthur Miller’s The Crucible in multiple ways. Many different aspects of McCarthyism are related to the play, which gives the reader a clear idea of the corruption and chaos in Salem in 1692. Through the modern day accusations known as McCarthyism, The Crucible becomes easily understood for the reader due to the many similar repercussions that resulted in paranoia from the population as well as wrongful punishments.

Arthur Miller´s 1952 play, The Crucible displays the struggle for an individual going against their society. It shows the colonial community of Salem, Massachusetts disaster of witchcraft accusations caused by the selfishness of a single individual Abigail Williams in 1692 which is similar to The Red Scare of the 1950’s. This theme is also brought through the setting and plot. The play's setting provides a suitable environment for the events that take place. The world of Salem is confined by strict moral and religious codes which spur the abuse of power.

Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, depicts an exceedingly religious society in the midst of Massachusetts during the infamous Salem Witch Trials. The town was quickly overtaken by the false rumours of witchcraft, causing the Puritans to turn against one another, leading to the eventual deaths at the end of the play. Since the play itself was written in response to the increasing panic caused by the irrational fear of communism during the Cold War, the Puritans in the play and the Americans during the 1950s show striking resemblances, although the outcome was slightly different (Burns 1). The Puritan community displayed in the play and the Anti-Communist of the 1950s were completely captured by fear and as a result of that, drove to mass hysteria. As an attempt to try and combat the growing fears both the Puritans and the Anti-Communist generated false accusations to help give the people a sense of responsibility, as well as keep the order within their communities. The use of fear to control the individuals of the selected community ultimately created hysteria as shown throughout the entire play and the Red Scare. The specifics of the time period in which the play was written and the time period of which the play took place gives a better interpretation as to how the use of fear to control the community lead to the eventual mass hysteria in The Crucible.