He died soon after in 1957, four years after the opening of The Crucible. In 1956 Miller was subpoenaed to appear before HUAC. McCarthyism: Those who were accused were assumed guilty, put on trial, and expected to divulge the names of other Communist sympathizers. The Language of Composition: Reading, Writing, Rhetoric, Lawrence Scanlon, Renee H. Shea, Robin Dissin Aufses, Literature and Composition: Reading, Writing,Thinking, Carol Jago, Lawrence Scanlon, Renee H. Shea, Robin Dissin Aufses, Edge Reading, Writing and Language: Level C, David W. Moore, Deborah Short, Michael W. Smith. How did his own experiences shape his writing? Anyone deemed suspicious was issued a subpoena by the committee and subsequently questioned about their political activities and the activities of other potential subversives. Local farmer who lives just outside town and is a stern, harsh tongued, smart and had an affair with Abigail Williams. If patriotism is taken too far, it can transform itself into a hatred of "outsiders" rather than a love of political freedoms. These connections are important because they demonstrate that The Crucible is not merely a (highly adapted) retelling of historical events but also an allegorical reference to the timelessness of certain central human flaws. Yellow bird = Mary's spirit. After each action verb write AVA VAV and after each linking verb write LVL VLV. Thomas Putnam's wife. The Crucible written by Arthur Miller shows us a world made of fear and paranoia and this world by Arthur Miller allegorically represents to the world in the 1950's. The Crucible represents the world when Senator Joseph McCarthy was in power relating with a lot of the story's characters and setting. Using literary devices such as pathos, tone, and hyperbole, Senator McCarthy manipulated the minds of the American people . Abigail cheats with John Proctor behind Elizabeth Proctor's back. The Second Red Scare happened between 1947-1954 and Sen. Joseph McCarthy feared that Soviet, Korean and Chinese communist spies occupied the federal government which later turned out to be false. One of the similarities of these 2 eras is the scare factor. Literature Study Guides and Chapter Summaries, Similarities between McCarthyism and The Crucible, This post is part of the series: The Crucible Study Guide, Characters in The Crucible by Arthur Miller, A Summary of Arthur Millers, The Crucible, Symbolism in The Crucible & Similarities to McCarthyism. ELA Unit 7 10th Grade This unit has been archived. (pg. Log in here. Need some quotes to fill out your essay for English class? The Crucible by Arthur Miller was an analogy of the Salem Witch Trials of New England and (A) the events of the Holocaust (B) racism in the southern states (C) the acts of Joseph McCarthys Senate committee (D) the rise of Hitler in Nazi Germany (E) the infi ltration of communism in the United States (McCarthy). In The Crucible, hysteria and hidden agendas break down the social structure and then everyone must protect themselves from the people that they thought were their friends. How is delegation useful for meeting family clothing responsibilities? Can an innocent person be guilty? The people of Salem were in uncertain times. 87). The Second Red Scare happened between 1947-1954 and Sen. Joseph McCarthy feared that Soviet, Korean and Chinese communist spies occupied the federal government which later turned out to be false. Deputy governor of Massachusetts and presiding judge of the Witch Trials, thinks he's honest and scrupu-lous and is convinced that he is doing right by convicting witchcraft even though there is no strong evidence suggesting that it even exist. He did so by making a few small changes to the history and creating parallels in the play with racism, human tendencies, and H.U.A.C., The Crucible, a play written by famous author Arthur Miller, was inspired by Army-McCarthy Hearings. Already a member? The story relates to the McCarthy trials. This sort of behavior is one of the biggest contributors to the panic that grows throughout The Crucible. All rights reserved. Although The Crucible is fictitious, the story depicts the historical information of the Salem witch trials, and blends them with fictitious characters to create a very realistic plot and conflict in the story. The majority, however, valued their morals and refused to give into political pressure by lying. novel) represents something else on a symbolic level -The entire play symbolizes the Red . He then moved to a nearby town and managed a grocery store. From the outset of the play, Abigail's self centred personality is shown. When we read The Crucible its important to know about Senator Joseph McCarthy. Get the latest articles and test prep tips! We and our partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. This resulted with the death of 19 people including John Proctor and several other highly respected members of Salem., The Salem witch trials and the Red Scare both involved ongoing accusations that led to numerous innocent people being accused. The Crucible: Townspeople are not willing to stand up to the court for fear of being accused of being a witch. Arthur Miller's play The Crucible displays the hysteria that took place in Salem in 1692. The government's influence on movies at this time was much greater than it is today. Miller closes his essay by saying, "I am not sure what The Crucible is telling people now, but I know that its paranoid center is still pumping out the same darkly attractive warning that it did in the fifties." The destructive power of lies: Abigail and her friends tell a series of lies to avoid being punished for breaking the rules. The similarities include continuous accusations, leading politicians, and the reaction to witchcraft and communism., Initially, I aimed my research at allowing myself to attain a sense of the atmosphere that pervaded Salem, Massachusetts in 1962, as I was unsure about the focus of my project. Elizabeth fired Abigail when she discovered that her husband was having an affair with Abigail. Tituba agrees to perform voodoo at Abigail's request. Arthur Miller explained that one discovery he made while digging into the actual history of the Salem Witch Trials set his imagination on fire: Abigail Williams, the mover and shaker of the witch-finding craze, had been the Proctors's house servant for a short time. -Examples: Poppet = voodoo doll. Samantha is also passionate about art and graduated with honors from Dartmouth College as a Studio Art major in 2014. After all, communists are real, and witches arent. Ask questions; get answers. A person or group made to bear the blame for others or to suffer in their place Describe the political climate of the 1950s. He writes, "But by 1950, when I began to think of writing about the hunt for Reds in America, I was motivated in some great part by the paralysis that had set in among many liberals who, despite their discomfort with the inquisitors' violations of civil rights, were fearful, and with good reason, of being identified as covert Communists if they should protest too strongly." For example, John Proctor hesitates to expose Abigail as a fraud because he fears repercussions from the court, and Parris is eager to turn on others to preserve his reputation. The Crucible: Delusional girls make unsubstantiated claims about the existence of witches in Salem. She was controlling, crazy, wild, vindictive when crossed, , smart, good liar Rev. Salem was surrounded by forest. The period of time play was written in was troubling at some senses for the USA. Who caused the Salem Witch Trials in The Crucible? Bridget Bishop, Sarah Good, Sarah Osburn, Isaac Ward, etc. Salem was a Puritan society at the time, which meant that there was a strict moral code that encompassed Puritan lifestyle. Initially, it was known as The Chronicles of Sarah Good. "The Crucible," a dramatization of the 1692 Salem witch trials, was written as an allegory for the "witch-hunt" atmosphere that pervaded America when Joseph McCarthy, a Republican representative . Some people believed him because they had fear of communism. The entire plot of the novel is moulded by the repressive Puritan society. Massachusetts. Ann Putnam has given birth to eight children, but only Ruth Putnam survived. Abigail represents the government and Joseph McCarthy who initiated the Red Scare because similarly she started the Salem Witch hunt by accusing Tituba and all the other innocent people as witches. Which character do you find the most intriguing? In act 4 of The Crucible, why does John Proctor decide to confess but refuse to sign a written confession? This warrant's vengeance! . So, in "The Crucible" the courts and the judges would represent Senator McCarthy (who led the red scare in the senate) and the others in government who questioned people and blacklisted them from working, just like Danforth and others jailed "witches". Which commandments did John Proctor break? The Crucible and 12 Angry Men are two plays with the same theme of justice that is expressed differently throughout each play. The ones who said yes were on the list. At the same time, the communist. The Doll: The doll found on Elizabeth Proctors shelf is a traditional symbol of voodoo and witchcraft. The Putnams' lone surviving child out of eight. The book was written as a reaction to a tragic time in our countries history. Fear caused the American people to succumb to the preposterous charges brought forth by McCarthy displaying resemblances to that of the Salem community in 1692 (Carey 51). He was especially fascinated by people who disagreed with the communist "witch hunt" but chose to keep their heads down and go along with it to avoid their own persecution. Youll be hanged soon. Failure to do so leads to death. It seems crazy that society could be fooled into believing in things like witches and deal with the events in such an extreme manner. The correspondences we find between Miller's world and that of Salem have more to do with group identities, with Parris, Hathorne, and Hale parallel to people holding strongly anti-communist beliefs, the girls similar to those who were caught up in the McCarthyite hysteria, and Corey, Proctor, and Nurse parallel to innocent victims persecuted by McCarthy. The hysteria was ignited by a group of young girls who were powerless individually, yet as a group, had the power to control the court. This meant that people were forced to either confess to the crime of witchery or shove the blame towards a different person. Characters like John Proctor, Abigail William and Hathorne represent Arthur Miller, Joseph McCarthy, and J.Edgar Hoover. Continue with Recommended Cookies. Has some morals with John and has justice and reason. At first glance Senator McCarthy and Abigail Williams, the antagonists during McCarthyism and throughout The Crucible respectfully, seem very different, however, their actions and mannerisms are mirrored in many aspects. In 1996, director Nicholas Hynter released a film adaptation of Miller's play. Many were subsequently denied employment opportunities in their industries because they were universally "blacklisted" or shut out by employers who feared that hiring them would be a public relations nightmare. Yet, Elizabeth is hurt by the fact, Many people today have read Arthur Millers great play The Crucible and believe that the real witch trials were portrayed in the play but many of the facts are not particularly wrong but might be twisted. Yet, one life lost in the result of millions after that seems like a sensible thought., The McCarthy Era and The Crucible can relate in many ways, in both of these times people were accused for wrong doings. These lies ultimately destroy the community of Salem. Latest answer posted April 17, 2020 at 1:25:04 AM. In Salem, dolls represent evil. She accuses John Proctors wife of witchcraft in order to have him all to herself. The abandonment of reason in the face of hysteria is a clear common theme. Even though he is not a character in the play, his role in history is important to Millers story. This represents hope that the future may be different. Arthur Miller wrote this play as a commentary on the Red Scare that happened in the United States where people engaged in a "witch hunt" of communists. the characters and plot developments in THE CRUCIBLE symbolize the individuals and events that took place during McCarthy's anti-communist campaign (e.g. Download Unit Unit Summary Witches were just as real to people in the 1690s as communists were to people in the 1950s. Hated the fact that John and Abigail had an affair. While the Salem witch trials occurred in the late 1600s, a similar unfortunate situation occurred in the 1950s with McCarthyism. Abigail Williams was a real person involved in the Salem Witch Hunt but her character in the play was altered a small bit for dramatic effect. Just a year earlier a witch in the nearby town of Beverly was executed and now the witch hysteria had spread to their village. The Red Scare is the promotion of a potential rise of Communism in the United States. Many of the townsfolk, especially John Proctor, dislike him, and Parris is very concerned with building his position in the community. Arthur miller wrote the Crucible as a parody of the manifesto of Huac and Communism which he compared it to the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. The crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller in 1953. hbspt.cta.load(360031, '4efd5fbd-40d7-4b12-8674-6c4f312edd05', {}); Have any questions about this article or other topics? Her activities are crucial to the development of the drama. Many members of the Federal, Many people look back on the events of the Salem witch trials and laugh at the absurdity of the allegations. Miller did in fact write communist theater criticism and was a greater private supporter of communism than he portrayed himself to be at the time, but he never actually joined the party. In 1946 he was elected to the U.S. Senate, and in 1950 he publicly charged that 205 communists had infiltrated . (C) an operator of machinery Accessed 5 Mar. Some people (including his former friend Elia Kazan) predictably complained that Millers analogy between the Salem witch trials and McCarthyism was bogus. For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as Latest answer posted November 22, 2020 at 12:05:25 PM, In The Crucible, explain what Elizabeth means when she says, "He have his goodness now, God forbid I take it from him. In Arthur Millers play The Crucible, there is evidence of parallels between the Salem of 1692 and America of the 1950's, the American Government of the 1950's and its misuse of power, and the high court depicted in the play, using its power to impose a misguided ju! Miller saw these sorts of irrational thought processes (weeding out officials associated with China in the US government with the goal of diminishing Chinas power overall) as corollaries to the supernatural beliefs of his characters. Photo of Joseph McCarthy by United Press (Library of Congress) [Public domain]. The puritans were a group of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th century. The Crucible is a play by the American playwright Arthur Miller, it is a dramatized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in 1692. John Proctor had an affair with Abigail, and now it is ruining his life. Her illness and that of Ruth Putnam fuel the first rumors of witchcraft. Abigail Williams is presented as one of the main antagonist in The Crucible. What object is used as "evidence" to arrest Elizabeth Proctor in the attack on Abigail Williams? Abigail Williams, the niece of Reverend Paris, is a key figure. This type of harmful attitude remains an issue in the US to this day. Discuss how Millers point of view influences the reading of the play. She uses threat and violence to get her ways and does not stop until she achieves her goal. Synopsis. Putnam is the single most narrow-minded, self-serving guy in the story. Hale is a committed Christian and hater of witchcraft. Identify appropriate dress for three special occasions. Reverend John Hale A young minister reputed to be an expert on witchcraft. They will put your phone on trace. Everybody was afraid to speak up, tell their opinions in public, they all were afraid of being suspected to be against the truth which was the idea what leaders believed at the time. The Crucible combined with evidence from the era of McCarthyism demonstrates how a frenzied society can influence authority. The dishonesty, brainwashing and manipulation exhibited by Abigail Williams, Mary Warren and the court is ultimately what allowed the witch trials to occur and to continue., The main difference between McCarthyism and the Crucible is that McCarthyism was a real political period in the United States when Senator McCarthy tried to scare people that communism was leaking into our government but as for the crucible it was a group of people that was just accusing other people of witchcraft.