This is similar to a time in the 1950s when Joseph McCarthy accuses government officials of communism and that ultimately leads to hundreds of citizens losing their jobs. I'm Amy, WebThe Crucible is an allegory for what happened during the "red scare" in American in the 1950's. 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. In an allegory the character, events, and instances(Definition of Allegory R104). Although Miller literally wrote about the Salem witch trials, his purpose was to describe the McCarthy trials which teaches many ideas about human life both generally and regarding politics. However, we have not only repeated it on various occasions, but through Arthur Miller's The Crucible, we also see the parallel of the event with the Salem Witch hunts that took place years before the hearings. Educators go through a rigorous application process, and every answer they submit is reviewed by our in-house editorial team. A type of government based on religious believes. Her actions begin sending the small town into a panic as they throw people into jail and hang them in an effort to try and cleanse the town from any aspect of evil. She is certifies to teach English Language Arts and Reading and English as a Second Language in Texas for grades 6-12 . The state believed McCarthy and the people got treated badly because they were wrongly accused of. Latest answer posted April 17, 2020 at 1:25:04 AM. Many people were executed by decision of the court because it believed in absurd false allegations. I have given you my soul; leave me my name! (Proctor, Act 4, pg 130-133). More and more young women began to accuse townspeople of having dealings with the Devil and practicing witchcraft. Arthur Miller was soon later accused by the McCarthy led HUAC. All rights reserved. For example, the use of pace throughout the, The Crucible was about the Salem Witch Trials which took place in 1692-1693 and the Red Scare happened in the late 1940s and early 1950s. WebThe Crucible by Arthur Miller is allegorical. McCarthyism is the accusing of people without proper evidence. She has a Master of Education degree. One instance of this is shown on page 1324 when he tells Judge Danforth not to hang the respected accused individuals saying, You cannot hang this sort. The times back then were terrible. Arthur Millers purpose of writing The Crucible was due to the close resemblance between the Salem Witch-trails and McCarthyism. The last main reason to falsely accuse was greed. In the early 1950s, Americans became fearful that their friends, neighbors, or co-workers might be communists attempting to undermine American democracy and spread communism throughout the world. The Crucible Study Guide 2022-10-26. Weba crucible is. 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. In act 3 of The Crucible, why does Reverend Hale change his story about witchcraft? When this was over, the hope would be that nothing like it would ever happen again and nothing like it had ever happened before. The belief of the integration of Communist spies into the country made the government question the loyalty of Americans. Arthur Miller published the play during I dare not step outside at night! This quote shows that Parris is not concerned with the hanging of the accused individuals who are not as respected, nor is he concerned with his supposed mission to banish all evil from Salem. While most people use the book to study the Witch Trials, with closer examination it is easy to conclude that it is a direct allegory to the Red Scare and the McCarthy era of 1950s America. Don't know where to start? Abigail Williams was John Proctor's niece and worked as a servant in John and Elizabeth Proctor's home. Shortly after the beginning of the Red Scare, a phenomenon which is known as McCarthyism appeared and shaped American politics. Miller wrote his drama during the brief reign of the American senator Joseph McCarthy whose bitter criticized anti- communism sparkled the need for the United States to be a dramatic anti- communist society during the early tense years of the cold war. During the 1950s, non evidential claims would be taken seriously. Miller explains the McCarthy trials through The Crucible by teaching peoples fears, faults, and politics, making the text both a metaphor to the trials and an allegory. Miller wrote The Crucible in 1953, when Senator Joseph McCarthy accused dozens of people who worked for the US government of being communist infiltrators, without any evidence. While no one was put to death, but those put on trial were sometimes black listed, making it impossible for them to work. In the Crucible there is an allusion to Good vs. Evil. In Act III Danforth says, "a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it" (Miller 1137). The town is religiously and morally based so you are either classified under a believer or someone who believes in evil. An allegory is a story with an obvious meaning but if you look deeper into it, there is another meaning. The Crucible Study Guide 2022-10-26. The Salem Witch Trials was a witch hunt in Salem, they hung anybody who they thought were witches. Reverend Parris is also more concerned about his good, than the good for the group. Why did Arthur Miller write The Crucible? Miller expresses important messages This push to monitor people accused of communism came to be known as McCarthyism. Miller's version of the Salem witch trials is not a strictly accurate accounting of the historical record. In the Crucible, there is multiple occasions where the events that happen are parallel to McCarthyism because the Crucible is an allegory to McCarthyism. 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. I am afraid that the eNotes editors are only allowed to answer one question. We also saw this type of chaos during the Salem witch trials of 1693. People take advantage of hysteria when holding onto grudges by spreading lies that will benefit the accuser. So john proctor the hero of Arthur Millers story is the equivalent of a suspected communist and at the time was a cold war. Is the accuser always holy now? The Crucible by Arthur Miller is an allegory for the Red Scare in the McCarthy Era because, The Crucible and McCarthyism Rough Draft flashcard sets. Kerry has been a teacher and an administrator for more than twenty years. original papers. Miller's use of the Salem witch trials to highlight the panic of the Red Scare is an allegory. Hollywood director Elia Kazan went in front of the HUAC twice. She has a Bachelor of Arts in Secondary Education and English and a Master of Arts in Literature from Abilene Christian University. During the McCarthy era people accused would start accusing other people in order to get the attention off of them, because the only way to prove you are not a communist was to name a communist. Intolerance is closely tied to communism and witchcraft, leading to the arrest and sentencing of innocent people. An allegory is a story with two levels of meaning- literal and symbolic. The Crucible by Arthur Miller and The Red Scare share many characteristics. This essay is available online and might have been used by another student. Clearly, Senator McCarthys greed for political power led to American citizens unrest. Chat with professional writers to choose the paper writer that suits you best. The Crucible as Allegory. This was a time during which the fear for the growth in power of the Soviet Union was spreading in America. To conclude, in the 1940s to the 1950s, the Red Scare prompted US Senator Joseph McCarthy to accuse people to be communists. Discover how Miller used the For instance, throughout The Crucible, Abigail Williams is being shown repeatedly accusing innocent people of witchcraft. When Abby tries to tell her to never say that, Betty replies by saying, "You did, you did! The Crucible, a play about the Salem witch trials, was written by Arthur Miller in 1952 . When Miller wrote The Crucible, it was his way of expressing himself and how he felt during the McCarthy Era. The Crucible mirrors McCarthyism because even though tis hard to prove (Miller, 75) the court believed unsustainable girls and believed they saw the Devil in people. It also gave many an excuse to act on personal grudges bore with one another., In literature alone, there are many stories that have been categorized as allegories due to messages or lessons that are implied in the writing. This expresses how much a good reputation is for this time as one mistake that may not even be true can soil (Reverend Parris Act1 P.20). 2023 PapersOwl.com - All rights reserved. The characters of Judge Danforth and Reverend Parris both symbolize choosing good for one as opposed to choosing the good for the group. US Senator Joseph McCarthy entered the spotlight by accusing members of the State Department to be communists. The Crucible Vocabulary Words & Flashcards, Psychological Research & Experimental Design, All Teacher Certification Test Prep Courses, The Crucible: Author & Historical Context, Irony & The Crucible: Dramatic, Verbal & Situational, The Crucible Introduction & Act Summaries, Common Core ELA Grade 8 - Writing: Standards, 10th Grade English: Homeschool Curriculum, Comprehensive English: Overview & Practice, FTCE Middle Grades English 5-9 (014) Prep, Praxis English Language Arts: Content Knowledge (5038) Prep, CSET English Subtests I & III (105 & 107): Practice & Study Guide, Praxis English Language Arts - Content & Analysis (5039): Practice & Study Guide, The Crucible by Arthur Miller: Characters, Themes & Analysis, Arthur Miller's The Crucible: Summary and Quotes, Working Scholars Bringing Tuition-Free College to the Community. Another example written in his work is when Proctor was accused of witchcraft when he told the truth. WebThe Crucible tells a story about a little town in Massachusetts called Salem where false accusations and unjustifiable trials are happening, just like what was happening in the By orders from McCarthy himself, committees of the Congress commenced highly controversial investigations against communists in the U.S similar to the alleged Salem witches situation. 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. They are accused of witchcraft, but they claim, She was also in the woods, casting spells that Abigail wanted, when she is accused of calling the devil, she claims the devil came to her and forced her to sign his book with 4 other names. In the early 1950s, many Americans were afraid that communists might infiltrate the American government and cause the U.S. government to fall. By comparing McCarthyism to the Salem Witch Trials, Miller is able to communicate that people should not conform to societal trends because these trends may be misleading and cause innocent people to get hurt. As mentioned in the Background page of the test, since, Judge Danforths aforementioned quote on page 1324 shows his concern for himself and his reputation rather than the lives of the multitude of innocent Salem civilians whose lives depend on his verdict. Arthur Millers novel, the Crucible is a fictional play that centers around the Salem Witch Trials. You can order an original essay written according to your instructions. People from all walks of life were accused of communist leanings: government workers, teachers, actors, and writers. In. In 1951, as playwright Arthur Miller watched these communist "witch hunts" play out in the government and even among his friends in the entertainment industry, he felt compelled to write a play that captured the hysteria of the moment. Specify your topic, deadline, number of pages and other requirements. What is the main purpose of The Crucible? The main purpose of The Crucible is to draw parallels between the events of the Salem witch craze and what was happening in America at the time of the play's writing, during McCarthyism. Arthur Miller: Plays & Biography | Who is Arthur Miller? Ill tell you whats walking Salem vengeance is walking Salem. In his exemplary dramatization The Crucible, Arthur Miller accounts the repulsiveness of the Salem witch preliminaries, a humiliating scene of pilgrim Americas set of experiences. You are now seven month out of their house, and in all this time no other family has ever called for your service. (Reverend Parris Act1 P.20) The conflict between her and Elizabeth destroyed her reputation as a house maid. Web400 Words2 Pages. 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 fear he spread among the people from the United States at that time is comparable to the fear for witches that the inhabitants of Salem spread in their own villages. 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. McCarthyism started in the early 1950s and it was governmental accusations with no evidence. In the book, Arthur Miller succeeds in portraying the Salem witch-hunt as the apparent meaning, while McCarthyism as the hidden meaning. With its ability to relate to a number of political situations in many countries, even as far as 50 years past its creation, In this classroom you can see a teacher getting her roomed searched by state and local anti-subversive and they are seen searching the room, looking in trash cans, looking at the classrooms maps of russia and even looking at the picture of the us presents. 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. Miller depicts this in the play as In 1692 nineteen men and women and two dogs were convicted and hanged for witchcraft (Introduction, pg vii) The quote symbolizes how the accused of both events suffered extreme consequences because of mere accusations that were taken too far. Arthur Millers 'The Crucible' is an extended metaphor representing the parallels between the Salem witch-hunts and accusations of communism during the McCarthyism era. The Crucible takes two of the worst moments in American history and uses them to demonstrate the pressure on people from society to conform. After Abigail and John had an affair, she was dismissed from the household, and Abigail and her friend, Ann Putnam, began showing signs of being afflicted by witchcraft and accusing people of practicing witchcraft. Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible as his own reaction to the injustice of McCarthyism. If you want a unique paper, order it from our professional writers. When he wrote The Crucible, it served as an allegory, simultaneously retelling the story of the Salem witch trials and also presenting social commentary on McCarthyism and the Red Scare. 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