Eugene O'Neill Biography, Plays & Influence | Who was Eugene O'Neill? Miller's version of the Salem witch trials is not a strictly accurate accounting of the historical record. Crucible Literary Essay Here is why I think The Crucible is an allegory for the Red Scare. Miller suffered through accusations of possibly believing in communism; as a result, he wrote a play called The Crucible, in which he used the Salem Witch Trials of 1692 to explain the communist hysteria during the 1950s. Arthur Miller's The Crucible tells the story of the Salem Witch Trials, and holds allegorical connections to events surrounding McCarthyism in the 1950s.. Answer and Explanation: He was drawn to the story of the Salem witch trials, and the more he learned about the trials, the hysteria, and the unfounded accusations made by the young women in Salem, the more parallels he saw between the contemporary events of the Red Scare and McCarthyism. In an allegory the character,events, and instances (Definition of Allegory R104). To unlock this lesson you must be a Study.com Member. The Crucible by Arthur Miller and The Red Scare share many characteristics. In addition, reputation is another aspect that troubles human nature. WebThe Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller in 1952. An entire adult, religious community was brought to its knees by the lies and play-acting practiced by these girls as they accused one innocent adult after another of bewitching them. The children were often accused if you were related to the person being accused then you were tried as a witch. WebThe Crucible: A Witch-Hunt Cautionary Tale. He testified that he had signed pro-communist documents and attended four or five meetings for Communist Party Writers. In The Crucible, what message is Arthur Miller trying to get across to the reader. For a time, he and his House Committee on Un-American Activitieswielded the power to lift up or destroy names, reputations and careers by slinging innuendo and half-truths in the name of national security, a threat McCarthy felt came from the U.S. Communist party (a recognized political group) and its members, et al. When people think of the play, The Crucible, they usually picture the witch trials and women being hanged, but Arthur Miller depicts the witch trials in a completely new light. The Crucible is an allegory for McCarthyism and the Red Scare of the early 1950s. Miller even uses some of the same characters in his dramatized play that were a part of the original witch trials in Salem. 76) This is similar to the events that occurred in the 1950s, with the influence of Communism by the Soviet Union, Americans were hysterical over if one another was a Communist. Weba crucible is. I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil! (Abigail, Act 1, pg 45) This quote exemplifies how Abigail just used the townspeoples beliefs and a backed expert of the situation to convince everyone that she was innocent. Arthur Miller, disgusted and inspired by these events, wrote The Crucible as an allegory for McCarthyism and the Red Scare. Encountering Conflict. As people in Salem were accused of witchcraft and brought before the tribunal, they were asked to confess their guilt and name the other people in town who also participated with them in dark rituals. The play is about testing the people of Salem to remove sin from the community. If you want a unique paper, order it from our professional writers. Miller wrote The Crucible as a symbolized declaration of his feelings during the period of McCarthyism. The book Crucible is an allegory. In the play, The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, Miller uses allegory to recreate the events occurring in real life. The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller in 1953, is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in Massachusetts in 1692. This was not a war fought on a battlefield, but rather one fought politically and economically. This sentence illustrates that the witch-hunt was the product of mass-panic, just as the hunt for communists, The McCarthyism period took place during the 1950s when The Crucible was written by Arthur Miller. Many characters in The Crucible serve as allegories to McCarthy 's communist hunt, specifically Abigail Williams, Giles Corey, and Betty Parris. The Crucible is a story set in Salem in the 1692 witch hunts. Their reputations allow their judgment to be perceived as correct. I have no tongue for itI have three children, how may I teach them to walk like men in the world, and I sold my friends?Because it is my name! Arthur Miller was a playwright and a political activist speaking up addressing societal issues. She is certifies to teach English Language Arts and Reading and English as a Second Language in Texas for grades 6-12 . US Senator Joseph McCarthy entered the spotlight by accusing members of the State Department to be communists. Eventually, the fear of communism faded, and President Eisenhower shut McCarthy and his communist witch hunt down. Miller was soon later accused by the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) who led the accusations with McCarthy. The hysteria induced by the thought that witches were in Salem spread throughout the community like a disease. Arthur Miller published the play during McCarthyism, so when he went to Salem and read the transcripts, he knew something could be made from the transcripts because of its similarity to McCarthyism. In this way, The Crucible stands as an allegory for McCarthy 's communist hunt, during which many people were also killed and imprisoned due to accusations of communism. One example of Abigail's villainy is the scene where her cousin, Betty Parris yells about Abigail having drank blood in the forest. During the Salem Witch Trials, according to Arthur Millers play The Crucible and the Red Scare, it focused on how much power a character could have, and that one character also can lead to convincing the community to be with them or against their personal thoughts. Chat with professional writers to choose the paper writer that suits you best. The belief of the integration of Communist spies into the country made the government question the loyalty of Americans. This essay is available online and might have been used by another student. The Crucible is an allegory to the Red Scare and the McCarthy era drastically by its plot, characters, and the flow and outcome of the court trials. 2023 PapersOwl.com - All rights reserved. However, the U.S. He uses the scenes and characters to represent the real-life occurrences. Specifically, Miller drew a connection between the unsubstantiated accusations of communist sympathizers under McCarthyism and the accusations thrown around during the Salem witch trials. eNotes.com will help you with any book or any question. As a member, you'll also get unlimited access to over 84,000 A fire, a fire is burning! An allegory is an extended metaphor in which the characters or objects in the story represent an outside meaning. The Crucible was written as an allegory to McCarthyism, a US government-backed campaign to uncover alleged Communists spearheaded by Senator McCarthy. I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! First, an allegory is a narrative that works as an long metaphor. In salem 1692 multiple girls were out in the woods dancing and were thought to be possessed and working with the devil. The overarching themes of the McCarthy era, like the ones of The Crucible, are the continuing fear of distrust of neighbors, friends, and even the foundations of the respective, 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. This fear, known as the Red Scare (because the Soviet flag was red), led people to believe that communist spies were holding positions of government, working as teachers in public schools, making movies in Hollywood, and infiltrating many other jobs where they could influence Americans and their belief in democracy. This connects to the 1950s, when to be accused of a communist Or a communist sympathizer all you needed to do is not report a communist. The Crucible is an allegory to the Red Scare and the Retrieved from https://papersowl.com/examples/how-is-the-crucible-an-allegory-for-mccarthyism/. An allegory refers to the story that possesses an obvious meaning but with other hidden connotations. This was a time during which the fear for the growth in power of the Soviet Union was spreading in America. This began the McCarthy Era, where government workers, artists/actors, and innocent people were accused. Miller wrote The Crucible as replication of his feelings during the period of McCarthyism in the 1950s. 68 lessons It has been proven that Arthur changed the story on purpose to use it as an allegory for the anti-communist Red Scare to get across to the government of what they were actually doing. I want the light of God, I want the sweet love of Jesus!I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! Miller expresses important messages specifically about injustice, hysteria, and reputation. During the 1950s, non evidential claims would be taken seriously. Because I cannot have another in my life! This quote shows that the accusations made by Joseph McCarthy lacked evidence and were entirely false. The symbolism used Following WWII and the rise of communism in China and Korea, Americans feared the influence of communist spies and sympathizers. The Crucible is an allegory to the Red Scare for many reasons, but one is that they are both run by lies spread by people to put This is parallel to the Red Scare because people went to great lengths to prove their innocence of McCarthyism. The demand to name other collaborators is a direct reference to the Red Scare and McCarthyism. People who were accused of being communist or communist sympathizers were told that they had to name other people who supported the communist movement. The era had significant impacts on American society during the early stage of the Cold War. (Arthur Miller was one of many who came under suspicion.). Trusted by over 1 million students worldwide. He felt depressed and wrote the play as a means to express himself. The varying intensity of this emotion can cause people to act or react in ways that may be unusual. Similar to Arthur Millers book, the Red Scare was a period of time in the late 40s and 50s in which United States citizens were intensely paranoid of an opposing threat of communism in Eastern Europe and Asia and ultimately communists infiltrating the United States. I have given you my soul; leave me my name! (Proctor, Act 4, pg 130-133). Much like the Crucible, McCarthyism was driven by irrational thinking and emotions.The emotions of people can be blinding and problematic. Both the U.S. and the U.S.S.R. had developed nuclear weapons that could devastate each other, not to mention the world as a whole. By these events, wrote the Crucible, written by Arthur Miller and the U.S.S.R. developed... 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