the crucible by arthur miller sparknotes

As a result of this, he's asked to name names of other 'witches.' When he refuses, he's hanged.Īlthough the penalty for being a Communist wasn't death during the McCarthy era, it was the complete loss of respectability and career. John Proctor, whose affair with a young girl jumpstarts the witch-hunts, is accused of being a witch when he tries to stand up to the insane-o accusations that plague Salem. Compare the rallying cry of the McCarthy era-'Are you now or were you ever a member of the Communist Party?'-with the question that haunts The Crucible-'Did you see (insert name here) with the Devil?'Īnd compare the life (and-spoiler-death) of protagonist John Proctor with one of the many people whose lives were derailed because they were accused of being a Communist. The similarities between Miller's portrayal of Puritan fear-mongering and McCarthyism don't quit. But Arthur Miller intended to use the Salem Witch Trials as an allegory for the anti-communist Red Scare and the congressional hearings of Senator Joseph McCarthy going on in the United States in 1953, when the play was first performed. Sure, on the surface this play appears to be totally about the Salem Witch Trials. This play is a commentary on the claustrophobic Puritanical-code-of-conduct-fear-of-witches nonsense of Massachusetts in the 17th century and a commentary on the claustrophobic, girdles-white-picket-fences-fear-of-Communists nonsense of America in the late 1940's and 1950's. Yep-Arthur Miller's The Crucible gives us a parable that spans centuries. If, on the other hand, the first image that popped into your head was of Salem's Anne Hale-bingo, you're 100% correct. If the first image that popped into your head was of Mad Men's Betty Draper-bingo, you're 100% correct. Think mass hysteria that makes entire communities suspicious and paranoid. Imagine a super-constrictive time in history.

The crucible by arthur miller sparknotes