How Does Mccarthyism Relate to the Crucible?

McCarthyism refers to the period in American history during the 1950s when Senator Joseph McCarthy accused many people of being communists and other forms of political subversion. This was an era of heightened paranoia and fear of communism which led to the blacklisting of many people in the entertainment industry and other public figures. The Crucible is a play by Arthur Miller which uses the Salem Witch Trials of the 1600s as a metaphor for McCarthyism. It explores themes such as fear and hysteria, paranoia, and the idea of justice being used as a weapon against one's enemies.

Parallels Between Arthur Miller's 'the Crucible' and McCarthyism

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Parallels Between Arthur Miller’s ‘the Crucible’ and McCarthyism

The Crucible is a playwright that was written in 1953 by Arthur Miller which is a true story that reflects on the Salem Witch Trials. The Salem Witch Trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions that took place in different towns of Massachusetts between the years of 1692 and 1693. Joe McCarthy was widely involved and responsible for the time in which the Red Scare took place in the United States which was intense during the late 1940s and early 1950s. Both events in history are known as unjust and make a mockery of the United States due to the wrongful accusations that were being made and being taken seriously to the public eye and superior officials of either the state or the country. Three parallels between The Crucible and McCarthyism are that the accused were expected to plead guilty and name others, were jailed and even sentenced to death without proper regard for evidence, and some had pleaded not guilty knowing they are sacrificing their personal welfare and their own life.

Both The Crucible and McCarthyism are related to each other because the accused people were expected to plead guilty and name others who they believed were practicing witchcraft or being a communist. Abigail is seem to be inspired by the words of Reverend Hale and soon cries out, I saw Sarah Good with the Devil! I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! I saw Bridget Bishop with the Devil. On the other hand, Ella Kazan gave a second testimony due to not naming several people who were involved in communism or were communists. This shows how people that plead non guilty of the supposed crimes were blacklisted and how others decided to accuse others for their own personal sake. This evidence helps show how The Crucible parallels McCarthyism because the ones who were accused either expanded the situation and accused others or were punished for not naming anyone.

Many of the victims in these horrific events were unfortunately incarcerated, put to death, or their personal and economic life was forever ruined. For both, the hearings of the Salem Witch Trials and the cases of McCarthyism were mainly focused on peoples accusations but not based on factual evidence. The deputy governor of Salem, Danforth, stated, Therefore, who may possibly be witness to it? The witch and the victim. None other. This shows how no witnesses other than the victim were called up to testify nor was any proper form of evidence shown to prove the accusations that were made. This evidence helps show how The Crucible parallels McCarthyism because the testimonies relied on the victims but no true evidence was properly shown.

In both incidents, some courageous and determined people pleaded not guilty to the accusations that were made against them. Pete Seeger who was accused of communism stated, I love my country very dearly, and I greatly resent this implication that some of the places that I have sung and some of the people that I have known, and some of my opinions make me any less of an American. Seeger refused to answer any questions or accuse others of being communists knowing that he was risking his career and his personal welfare. In The Crucible, John Proctor faced death by hanging rather than have condemn other innocent lives and was able to keep his integrity in his name by refusing to lie any more. This evidence helps show how The Crucible parallels McCarthyism because although the ones who were accused faced unfair consequences, they were able to have a sense of peace in their heart knowing they sacrificed themselves to morally do the right thing without harming anyone else.

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