Who Is Mccarthyism In The Crucible

Communism as defined by the dictionary is “A political theory derived from Karl Marx, advocating class war and leading to a society in which all property is publicly owned and each person works and is paid according to their abilities and needs.” Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” is an allegory for McCarthyism during the red scare due to the identical proceeds that divulge within not only The Crucible’s plot but also history, such as the accused confessing to a crime they did not commit to save their life, people rising to power by taking advantage of others, and accusations having credibility with no affirmation. “The Crucible” was published in 1952 just two years after the start of the McCarthy era.

The Crucible was written as an allegory for the McCarthy era in 1953 by Arthur Miller; an American playwright. The McCarthy era was epitomized by the fear of Communism that Senator McCarthy whipped up. He fostered a witch hunt against anyone who disagreed with his views. Miller’s intention was that the play would be a parody of his own context (himself) with John Proctor quite evidently being a reflection of Miller. The witches in the play symbolized communism. A ‘Crucible’ can mean both; "a container for melting or purifying metals by heat" and "a severe test." Miller describes the village of Salem as ‘the container’ and its contents; the God-fearing residents of Salem along with their emotions. This ‘purification process’ is exactly what

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.

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.

The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller, is a chronological narrative including a large cast of characters with a constantly moving setting.* The Crucible is a dramatization of the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 and an allegory of the McCarthyism period. Throughout the play, Miller explores the destruction of freedom by the ignorant and tyrannical society in which his characters live.* By exhibiting how easily a member of the community can become an outcast, Arthur Miller displays social criticism in the Puritan society as well as in today's society in The Crucible.

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

In Miller’s lifetime, McCarthyism was happening. The Red Scare in the 1950s made everyone in the United States afraid of what communists in the United States might do to them. This intolerance between communists and non-communists caused distrust, suspicions, and mass hysteria during the Cold War in the United States, as it did in seventeenth century Salem. A person’s reputation during McCarthyism, however, could hurt them more then

It displayed how 2 different times were so similar in concept. He wrote this play out of desperation cause of his fear of being a covert Communist. Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Committee were prosecuting alleged Communist from the State Department of Hollywood. McCarthy claimed to have a list of 205 people in the State Department in February of 1950 that were known members of the Communist Party in an attempt to be re-elected after his first term did not go so well. Even though his list consisted of alcoholics and sexual offenders he continued to investigate for over two years, questioning numerous government departments and the panic arising from the witch-hunts and fear of communism became known as what is called McCarthyism. He tried to accuse “communist infiltration into the military” however, the US fired back revealing how he abused his congressional privileges. He lost his positions and stripped of his

The play ¨The Crucible¨ has many reference related to the time period of Mccarthyism. Mccarthyism was a time period were accused of being involved in communism. Many people lost their jobs and their reputation was ruined. In the same way ¨The Crucible¨ alludes to

The American Heritage dictionary defines McCarthyism as “The political practice of publicizing accusation of disloyalty or subversion with insignificant regard to evidence”. Arthur Millers ‘The Crucible’ is an extended metaphor representing the parallels between the Salem witch-hunts and accusations of communism during the McCarthyism era. Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible in resins to the unwarranted persecution of many Americans, who were accused of communist ties or association with Communist government. two of the themes presented throughout The Crucible are Witchcraft and Personal Integrity. Miller sets up the parallel between The Crucible and McCarthyism by presenting Salem to be a puritan society and a theocracy, which would make the devil and those communing with him enemies if the town. It follows that America, then, us a democracy, which would make communism the modern devil and communists enemies of America.

During times of distress, we look for someone to blame. Whether we blame witches or whether we blame communism, there is always going to be insanity. In Arthur Millers The Crucible, we witnessed a town stuck in the thought of witchcraft. In the 1950s we witness a similar event of communism. The events of McCarthyism enhanced the readers understanding of The Crucible, in many instances the accusations of the United States communism and Salem were a lot alike, people were scared, puzzled, and without much reason.

The 1950s of America is a place where corruption is present in both the court and society due to McCarthyism. McCarthyism is an accusation towards another individual for reasons of treason or other illegal activities which lacks proper evidence. The Crucible by Arthur Miller places an emphasis on this period and captivates its background of McCarthyism. Arthur Miller uses the Salem witch trials to demonstrate that the 1950s America is full of intolerance, greed and injustice through McCarthyism.

During his writing of the crucible, Arthur Miller reflected his own personal experiences into the ideologies occurring throughout the book. The argument of McCarthyism being reflected throughout the story is very evident. During the 1940s and 1950s Americans were overcome with the thought of communism possibly reaching America, due to its major growth throughout Asia and Eastern Europe. These concerns began to develop in the US government, with young senator, Joseph McCarthy, taking particular concern. Exploiting already present fear of communism among American people, McCarthy public announced that more than two hundred “card-carrying” communists had infiltrated the United States government. Although these accusations where later confirmed to be false, McCarthy’s pursuit towards allegation of communism became the center of political tensions. During his anti-communism campaign, McCarthy became known for his paranoid, ridiculous and obscure accusations upon any well-known individuals during the time. This system

McCarthyism relates to the play “The Crucible” in many ways but one main point is

One of the many works written and driven by Puritan influence, The Crucible by Arthur Miller has continued to influence life and thinkings. Its story tracing the 1692 Salem Witch Trials has been widely read, received and understood, along with influencing the reader and their ideals. The play has manifested into more than words on a page and has become of the greatest influences, even sixty years after its publication. Though its story has not changed and is merely a retelling of the original itself, its themes have greatly impacted its universal and enduring state.