Similarities Between The Crucible And 1984

The Crucible is arguably the greatest pieces of American literature ever written by playwright Arthur Miller. But, in 1996 a film was created to put the words of Miller onto the big silver screen for many people across the nation to see. Although both works were received very well, the two of them have many different elements. These differences from the book to the movie include the setting, the execution of all the victims, the kiss of John and Abigail, where the girls run, and the discussion of John and Goody Proctor. These differences from the book to the movie have affected both in many different ways.

“I decline to make any such statement which I found demeaning; what right had any organization to demand anyones pledge of loyalty?” Those words, were Arthur Miller’s reply to the House of Un-American Activities Commision. In which he was being questioned and then later indicted and found guilty of contempt of congress. Just like the many characters in his book The Crucible, who refused to comply with the unjust questioning and in turn, point to another in order to keep their integrity amongst the court. The story is based on false accusations which lead to the downfall of their town, by the multiple deaths due to the corrupt system of court; which is very much similar to the McCarthyism era. The Crucible by Arthur Miller is an allegory considering, the fear of the respective crimes, biased acustations which lead to tainted trials and then the effects on one's life due to those corrupt sentences.

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.

According to Smithsonian.com, “more than 200 people were accused of practicing witchcraft. . . and 20 were executed” during the Salem witch trials (Blumberg). The Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller based in Salem, Massachusetts, and it is about the Salem witch trials. The Scarlet Letter is a book written by Nathaniel Hawthorne set in Boston about a woman committing adultery and the consequences she faced afterwards. The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible have similar themes, but they are also very different from one another. Both The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible have the theme of sin and consequence. Church and state affairs were the same in both pieces of literature. However, The Scarlet Letter

The Crucible and The Great Gatsby have each been read by millions. Both have factors of love and death, which make them exciting. Abigail Williams and Gatsby are two characters who are very similar, but different at the same time.

Both The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible revolve around the puritan culture of 17th century America. Written against the backdrop of the self-perplexed puritan culture, emotions of pain and pleasure are similarly highlighted amongst themes of religion, reputation and injustice in both The Scarlet Letter and The Crucible.

n the time of being treated like nothing, there were multiple things that made people feel that way and were brought to light. McCarthyism and The Crucible were examples of horrifying events in history that gave a whole new meaning to unfair trials. For witches, if they were found guilty, their life would be spared. If they chose to stay with God, they were killed for choosing the right choice. The Crucible and McCarthyism are very alike and different because of the way Arthur Miller made people feel based on assumptions.

Nathaniel Hawthorne and Arthur Miller both used their writings to comment on the state of the world at their current times. Miller’s Play The Crucible and Hawthorne’s novel The Scarlet Letter both share several similar concepts, despite the fact that they were written just over one hundred years apart. The Scarlet Letter is about a Puritan woman by the name of Hester Prynne, who has an illegitimate child (called Pearl) with the religious leader of the town, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale. The Crucible is a play featuring the Puritan town of Salem, which is suffering through a hysterical, supernatural paranoia started by a vengeful adulteress named Abigail Williams. The similarities between these two texts have been compared and explored by many before, and three such explorations are investigated over the course of this paper.

Communism. Witchcraft. These two highly controversial topics are either feared or adored by people. There are numerous similarities and differences between both, yet one thing is prominent: they both incite hysteria. The Crucible by Arthur Miller is an allegorical play mirroring 1950’s America during the Red Scare. “McCarthyism” is the act of accusing someone of an act of treason without substantial evidence. It relies on the uncertainty and the fear of the unknown among people, which in turn, incites hysteria. Joseph McCarthy accused many people of being communists without much evidence or reason. The accusations in The Crucible also are proposed without evidence and cause much hysteria among the town. Since The Crucible was written as an

During the 1950s there was a rise in the fear of communism called “The Red Scare”. Senator Joseph McCarthy was one of the many people who contributed to people’s fear by making a list of people who he said were communists even though there was no proof in most cases. In an article by Alan Brinkley called “The 1950s Part One: McCarthy and The Red Scare”, it informs, “McCarthy was only one of many who helped create the great fear. The Red Scare was visible in almost every area of American life” (Brinkley). This quote tell us that in the 1950s even though Senator Joseph McCarthy was a huge contributor to The Red Scare. His list of suspected communists made rumors spread and the people on the list get questioned and even go to jail when in some cases they were innocent. It also says in the article by USHistory.org called “McCarthyism: Witch Hunting and Blacklisting in America”, that, “In the 1950s anyone who was considered a communist could be questioned and thrown in jail” (USHistory.org). Which means that his allegations could have easily put people in prison.

The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, revolves around the Salem witch trials of the 15th century. Much of what precedes the play portion of the novel is dedicated to establishing the background of the novel. This passage, in specific, sets the tone of the novel as it describes the ideology of the witch hunts, and how they came into effect. The passage summarizes the fundamental ideas of the witch hunts as a paradox stating, “The witch-hunt was a perverse manifestation of the panic which set among the classes when the balance began to turn toward greater individual freedom” (Miller 11). These words are an important part of the novel because it lays out a groundwork which the rest of the ideas and concepts that are brought up in the novel will build themselves upon. Simply put, it sets the tone for the rest of the novel. It describes the fears that the characters have, and what conflicts they will undergo. For instance, signs of mob mentality can be gleamed from the passage. This can be seen when it says, “balance has yet to be struck between order and freedom” (Miller 11).

There are quite a few noticeable differences between The Crucible book, and the film. In the book, there was an appendix, that was completely omitted from the movie. Then, in the film, there was a scene showing Mary Warren sewing the poppet that was found in Goody Proctor”s house. In the book, it talked about the girls dancing in the woods, but in the movie, not only was it the opening scene, they showed it as a flashback.

During the Holocaust, thousands of people died because they were targeted by another group, the Nazis. Similarly, in The Crucible, about 19 people were executed. Although Salem was a smaller town, the characteristics of both events can relate to one another. The Holocaust was an act of genocide performed by a group called the Nazis through the 1930s and 1940s. This group was led by the notorious dictator, Adolf Hitler. The Nazis and Hitler took over Germany, killing many Jews. The Crucible was written by Arthur Miller, during the uprise of McCarthyism in the 1950’s. In Salem, Massachusettes, many people were accused of worshiping the devil because of doing something that was frowned upon. The government strongly influenced strict religion, so even dancing was inappropriate. The lack of importance placed in truth, chaotic riots, and discrimination are all the human characteristics that are seen in The Crucible and the Holocaust.

The literary works, The Scarlet Letter, a romantic work of an American writer, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and the Crucible, a play written by an American playwright, Arthur Miller both show two different narratives of the Salem Witch Trials. The Scarlet Letter is mainly on adultery, meanwhile, The Crucible is about witchcraft. Amongst these two literary works, there are several similarities and contrasts: setting, sin, reasons behind committing the misdemeanor, guilt, and loyalty of the Puritan people to their appointed officials. Although there are several similarities and comparisons, the greatest controversy is how the authors portray the female characters. Women get treated differently than men; it is the idea of women being inferior creatures and lesser human beings.

In George Orwell’s dystopian society of “1984” exhibit’s a totalitarianism government that extracts away the peoples freedom, eradicates the privacy, and individuality of the people, and in Arthur Miller’s novel “The Crucible” is play about a witch-hunt set in a theocratic society, in which the church and the state are one. Because of the theocratic way of the society, moral laws and state laws are one and the same. These novels share many similar themes related to social and political issues. The three major themes of both books are the psychological administration of external verification to a person’s perception or memory of the truth, the result of deadly consequences attached to the betrayal of trust, and the manipulating arrangement