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The Salem Witch Trials, The Crucible, and 1950’s McCarthyism
December 20
th
, 2013
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Abstract
This essay attempts to discover the potency of Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible,
as a critique of McCarthyism in 1950’s USA. This is achieved, firstly, through an explanation of
the term Puritanism and its origins, which characterizes the Puritans of New England as
colonists who left their nation to found a new society in which their lives were dedicated to the
service of God, a brief summary of the witch hunts and trials of Salem, Massachusetts in the 17
th
century, and secondly, through the analysis and interpretation of The Crucible, with a primary
focus on the development of John and Elizabeth Proctor, as well as their growing bond to one
another, and finally, through a discussion of how the different elements, of which The Crucible is
comprised, share similarities with elements of the period of the Red Scare and McCarthyism. It
is then concluded that Arthur Miller’s play from 1953 can justifiably be regarded as a direct
critique of the phenomenon in USA in the 1950’s, known as McCarthyism.
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Table of Contents
Introduction to Puritanism and its Origins ..................................................................................................... 3
Summary and Explanation of the Salem Witch Trials ............................................................................... 4
Analysis and Interpretation of The Crucible ................................................................................................... 5
Notes ................................................................................................................................................................................. 5
The Title ........................................................................................................................................................................... 6
The Themes .................................................................................................................................................................... 6
Good and Evil ............................................................................................................................................................. 6
Compassion and Forgiveness ............................................................................................................................... 7
Morality and Integrity ............................................................................................................................................ 7
The Time Period and Environment ...................................................................................................................... 8
Analysis of Selected Characters ............................................................................................................................. 9
John Proctor ............................................................................................................................................................... 9
Elizabeth Proctor ..................................................................................................................................................... 9
The Integrity and Compassion of John and Elizabeth Proctor ............................................................. 10
Discussion of The Crucible as a critique of McCarthyism ...................................................................... 10
McCarthyism and the Red Scare.......................................................................................................................... 11
The Crucible and McCarthyism ............................................................................................................................ 11
Unsubstantiated Claims and Spectral Evidence ........................................................................................ 12
Fear of Suspicion and Judgment ...................................................................................................................... 12
Arthur Miller: The “Un-American”? ................................................................................................................ 12
Conclusion....................................................................................................................................................................... 13
Bibliography .................................................................................................................................................................. 14
Websites ....................................................................................................................................................................... 14
Books and Articles .................................................................................................................................................... 15
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Introduction to the Essay
For all intents and purposes, this essay seeks to summarize the Salem Witch Trials
of 1692, to analyze and interpret The Crucible with a primary focus on the book’s main
characters, John and Elizabeth Proctor, as well as to discuss the potency of Arthur Miller’s play
as an indirect critique of McCarthyism in 1950’s USA, and finally, to reach a conclusion based on
the discussion and background knowledge presented before it.
Introduction to Puritanism and its Origins
In the late 16
th
century, the rise of Puritanism was at its utmost prominent stage,
although still young. This religious reform movement was started by a group of devout
Christians in England, who thought that the level of dedication and piousness of the current
English Christian community was much too unsubstantial in its devotion to God. Initially, the
term ‘Puritan’ was a name used by people opposed to the concept of Puritanism as a spiteful
means of addressing the members of the aforementioned religious reform movement
1
.
However, this term was later adopted as a personal identifier by the members, themselves,
which likely led to the term’s survival to this day. Some of these religious devotees thought it
necessary to move away from the religious heedlessness in England, and chose to immigrate to
the New World, a nation not officially addressed as the United States of America until the
Declaration of Independence of 1776
2
. This group of colonists that left behind their nation
helped in the founding of New England. A large portion of the Puritans who left for the United
States, settled in Salem, Massachusetts, a town in which tragic events would lead to the negative
sound the term Puritanism carries today.
However, before the events, and details thereof, that transpired in Salem,
Massachusetts can be fully understood, it is necessary to first take a look at the past. In Dr.
Francis J. Bremer’s Puritanism: A Very Short Introduction, it becomes apparent that Puritanism
was not initially a distinct faith, but in fact a Christian reform movement. As earlier mentioned,
they distanced themselves from the religious heedlessness, and thought a reformation was
necessary. The people who were part of this movement sought to reform the English church, or
to purify it, in a sense. They were the epitome of religious devotion, and aimed to turn their
society, and the communities immediately around them, into parts of the kingdom of God. A
popular belief amongst the Puritans was the conviction that they were chosen by the
aforementioned deity to spread His word to everyone around them, with the goal to further
humanity’s connection with Him. Unfortunately, as a result of their high ethical and religious
standards, they were eventually seen as mere prudes by the general public of England, and
1
Francis J. Bremer, Puritanism: A Very Short Introduction (p. 2, l. 15-17), 2009 © Oxford University Press
2
Transcript of Declaration of Independence, U.S. National Archives
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finally felt pressured into moving elsewhere, which is what led them to the New World. As
previously mentioned, a large portion of the Puritans settled in Salem, Massachusetts. The
gruesome events that occurred here in the time of the Puritans are popularly referred to as the
Salem Witch Trials.
Summary and Explanation of the Salem Witch Trials
In the year of 1692, the drama in Puritan society of Salem, Massachusetts was at
its historical peak. After King William the 3
rd
and Queen Mary the 2
nd
of England had started a
war with the French colonists in a territorial dispute in 1689, refugees scattered to many places,
and some moved to the village of Salem
3
. The relocation of these refugees to Salem caused
discrepancies in the local society in the form of a strain on their resources. The Puritan villagers
eventually needed something on which to blame their struggles, and slowly but surely decided
that it must have been the work of Satan. The struggles in Salem Village are thought to be what
launched the numerous witchcraft accusations as the result of a desperate need to blame
someone for their misfortunes.
The witchcraft accusations in Salem Village began with the local reverend’s
daughter having fallen ill, along with a few other young girls from the village, after having
allegedly danced in the woods with other fellow village girls and Tituba, the reverend’s black
slave. The local doctor was called upon to determine the cause of illness, as the condition of the
girls did not improve he claimed witchcraft was the only possible explanation. The mention of
witchcraft and other ill supernatural deeds spawned the chain reaction of baseless accusations
that will explained in the next paragraphs.
As a result of the doctor’s diagnosis, Jonathan Corwin and John Hathorne both
wealthy merchants and magistrates of the Massachusetts Bay Colony pressured the village
girls in poor health into admitting who the perpetrators were; who had caused them to meet
this fate. The girls uttered in pain the names of three women, all of whom were later imprisoned
without proof of their misdeeds, despite the fact that two of them pleaded innocent
3
.
Furthermore, the reason for the three women’s arrest was based entirely on the seemingly
bewitchedoutcries of the diseased young girls
4
, as their unnatural fits and spasms convinced
the townsfolk that the work of the Devil was present.
3
Jess Blumberg, A Brief History of the Salem Witch Trials, Smithsonian Magazine, Oct. 27
th
, 2007
4
History.com Editors, Salem Witch Trials, History.com, A&E Television Networks, LLC.
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The series of trials and convictions that took place in the following months was set
in motion by the questionable diagnostic abilities of a single doctor, and the village girls’
inclination to abuse their newfound manipulative powers
5
; they were able get rid of mostly all
the people that disagreed with or challenged their truthfulness in the slightest.
A total of 19 women accused of witchcraft were hanged, a single man was crushed
to death as he refused to plead either guilty or not, and around 13 died in prison before being
executed.
6
Throughout the many accusations, verdicts, and executions, however, the general
public opinion slowly started to turn against the trials. The accusations had been getting bolder,
affecting more and more of the wealthy inhabitants and people of a higher social standing,
whereas in the beginning, it affected only slaves, homeless, and other poor people without any
substantial influence. This is the reason, which allowed the accusations to go unchallenged in
the beginning, but further along become threatened by the people who had a say in the matters.
As a result, doubt had started to circle the authenticity of the “bewitched” village girls’ claims.
Finally, the colonial governor of Massachusetts, William Phips
7
, ordered the
cessation of the use of spectral evidence in the courtroom, and for no more arrests based on
witchcraft to be made. The chief judge of Salem, William Stoughton, ordered all the women who
had been accused of witchcraft, but were currently exempted due to pregnancy, to be hanged.
Governor Phips denied the order, and Judge Stoughton left the bench.
8
Although the aftermath
of these events is not accounted for in this essay, that concludes the brief summary of the Salem
Witch Trials.
Analysis and Interpretation of The Crucible
Notes
Written in 1953 by Arthur Miller, The Crucible is a play set in Salem,
Massachusetts, and concerns the Salem Witch Trials of 1692. In the beginning of the book, Miller
notes that the book is not historically accurate, in the sense that several characters have been
tampered with, some put together as one, and all their personalities conjured up, to the best of
the author’s ability, from the different records of the time period
9
.
As the book is a play based on historic events, the narrator is only able to explain
the missing details of events and characters throughout the book, and give brief summaries of
background stories that do not come to light through the lines of the characters.
5
The Salem Witch Trials of 1692, 2012 © Salem Witch Museum
6
Death Warrant & List of Dead, Famous American Trials
7
Phips, Sir William, Dictionary of Canadian Biography
8
Chronology of Events Regarding to the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, Famous American Trials
9
Arthur Miller, The Crucible, 2000 © Penguin Classics
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The Title
First of all, the title of the play, The Crucible, has officially been defined as several
different things, but most relevant are the following two examples:
1) “A vessel made of a refractory substance such as graphite or porcelain,
used for melting and calcining materials at high temperatures.
10
2) “A severe test, as of patience or belief; a trial.”
10
These definitions give the reader the choice to interpret the title in different ways.
The first one is the literal meaning the word carries, and can be utilized to understand the title
as a metaphor of the violent hysteria and heated reactions that take place in Salem Village. As
such, Salem could be interpreted as the “melting pot”, and the characters would consequently
symbolize the different materials that melt together and create violent and heated reactions
within. Secondly, the other definition that uses the word as a metaphor gives the reader the
opposite possibility of interpreting the title quite literally; the different characters in the story
that must undergo a trial of patience and faith
11
.
Therefore, the word in its metaphorical sense strongly hints at the harsh trials
of two major characters of The Crucible, namely John and Elizabeth Proctor, whom will later on
be explained and analyzed in greater detail.
The Themes
In The Crucible, there is no shortage of universally applicable themes to be found
and pondered upon. A few of the themes possess a heavier presence than others, however, and
the most important ones are tied together with the essence of this play. The ones that this
research paper have found to carry higher importance will be analyzed in this section.
Good and Evil
As the elements that possibly contribute the most irony to the entire play, these
themes are represented entirely differently, depending on whom is consulted for the answer.
The entire concept of Puritanism is to be the most devoted Christian you can be, devoting your
entire life to service under God, and the most important part, in relation to the themes
discussed, to combat the evil around oneself at all times through the good word of God. As such,
as an entry point, the Puritans represent goodness. However, in The Crucible, goodness is in fact
represented by the accused people of the trials, and one example of this is John Proctor.
10
The American Heritage® Dictionary Editors, crucible. (n.d)., The Free Dictionary by Farlex
11
Shmoop Editors, The Crucible Title, Shmoop University, Inc., Nov. 11
th
, 2008
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Although he is rightly accused of committing a heinous sin, he becomes one of the most
admirable characters of the entire play. In his refusal to give into the demands of the powerful
magistrates, because of their redundant methods of punishment, John revokes their almighty
status as judges, and prevents them from obtaining what they sought from him. As he has
already confessed, and begged for forgiveness and received it, he deems it a cruel and
unnecessary punishment that he should also sign a written confession, forever soiling his name.
As an example of evil, the fate of a man by the name of Giles Corey is highly
applicable. Although Giles was not a saint himself
12
, the measures taken against him to make
him confess could be deemed of a greater evil. He is accused of witchcraft, and as he refuses to
plead neither guilty nor innocent, the magistrates initiate torture by gradually crushing Giles
underneath an increasing weight of stones over the course of several days, until he eventually
died. As people who claim to judge only by the hand of God’s justice, the magistrates
contradictorily let the old and weak man, Giles Corey, die a tortured death.
Compassion and Forgiveness
The two themes in question go hand-in-hand in this play by Arthur Miller, and are
coincidentally represented by two main characters who go hand-in-hand, as well John and
Elizabeth Proctor. This married couple fights against the very fabric of which the Puritan court
system of Salem consists in the time period. As they eventually succeed in proving that these
themes are indeed more powerful than the twisted justice and naïve religious principles of the
contemporary Puritan law system, it becomes clear that the author meant for these themes to
be overwhelmingly visible towards the end of the book.
Morality and Integrity
As virtues that are noticeable throughout the entire book in the form of John and
Elizabeth Proctor, these closely connected themes become the winning piece in the battle
between good and evil. To discover the presence of these themes, one need only take a look at
the exemplary acts and words of courage by John and Elizabeth, to witness what great lengths
the truly strong people will go, to protect what they hold most dear. To demonstrate is the
following example, in which Elizabeth shows her true character:
DANFORTH: […] Answer my question! Is your husband a lecher!
ELIZABETH, faintly: No, sir.
PROCTOR, crying out: Elizabeth, I have confessed it!
13
12
Rebecca Beatrice Books, The Curse of Giles Corey, History of Massachusetts, Oct. 12
th
, 2011
13
Arthur Miller, The Crucible (p. 100, l. 21-26), 2000 © Penguin Classics
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In this passage, Elizabeth forsakes the honesty, which she has always held dear, to
protect her husband’s reputation, and the only thing he has left his name. She sees the option
to keep her husband’s name clean as the most morally correct choice, and the integrity of her
character allows her to forsake all other principles in exchange for the most important one to
her. Her act of integrity seems to inspire her husband, as John chooses to not sign the written
confession he is later presented, possibly in part because it would render his wife’s effort
meaningless.
The Time Period and Environment
As previously mentioned, The Crucible takes place in colonial America, in the late
17
th
century. Among the many Puritan settlements, Salem, Massachusetts was in fact quite small
when compared to others. In this period, a highly visible religious influence shaped the society
in which the Puritan settlers lived. In not only Salem, but also all other Puritan-based
settlements, the theocratically
14
inclined government of the time made itself quite noticeable in
the way of many laws that derived from norms within the religion and specific branch of
Christendom. Among the many laws, a few effectively portray the pious dutifulness encouraged
by the government. These include the prohibition of expressing intimate affection in public on
Sundays, i.e. kissing one’s wife, the outlawing of any idle activities, such as swimming or
smoking, and finally, the wearing of any unnecessary or provocative attire, such as short-
sleeved dresses, ribbons, or wrist cuffs, was also strictly forbidden
15
. The enforcement of these
laws often came through punishment in the form of sitting in the stocks for several hours, for
example. As a result, the inhabitants of these settlements were more than inclined to follow the
strict guidelines for how to live one’s life in the service of God, and not waste it away on worldly
pleasures.
It is also important to note that the environment of the Puritan settlements,
although peaceful and orderly on the inside, was surrounded by the unknown, including many
dangers and general hostility. This constant threat of the unknown was an important factor in
what drove the Puritans to obsessively cling to their highly regarded codes, rules, and
miscellaneous guidelines. The Native American tribes still roamed the uncivilized lands, and the
Puritans, amongst many other white colonists, regarded the savage nature of these people as
something they had to reform by the will of God
16
.
14
Collins Dictionary Editors, theocratically (n.d.), 2013 © Collins English Dictionary
15
Murray N. Rothbard, The Puritans “Purify”: Theocracy in Massachusetts, Ludwig von Mises Institute
16
Casey Clay, How Did the Puritans in New England Interact with Native Americans, July 7
th
, 2008,
Humanities 360
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When in possession of the background knowledge above, pertaining to the time
period of the trials and the environment in which they took place, Arthur Miller’s dramatization
of the events in Salem Village becomes more comprehensible to the common reader or viewer
of the play.
Analysis of Selected Characters
John Proctor
Throughout the play, John Proctor remains the main protagonist. Although he
gave into temptation once, in the form of an affair with Abigail Williams, he dies a redeemed
death, with his name intact. As a man filled with integrity and strong moral principles, his
prideful nature does not let him be coerced into signing the written confession, he is given,
stating that he has committed adultery. The reason for this uncooperative action seems to be
the fact that he has already verbally confessed his sin, and the signing of the written confession
would only soil his name further, for no apparent purpose, as the following quote demonstrates:
“PROCTOR: … How may I live without my name?
I have given you my soul; leave me my name!”
17
Before our protagonist reached this point, one could argue that he underwent
great internal struggles and finally decided upon the honorable choice of not bending to the will
of the magistrates. Although tormented through many nights of battling with his own demons,
and the sin that he has committed, John Proctor eventually comes to terms with his misdeeds,
and never succumbs to the arguably tempting choice of signing the confession in return for his
life. The development this tragic hero undergoes, symbolizes where his strength truly lies; in his
standard of ethics and moral principles, John Proctor can somewhat ironically be considered
the truest of Christians out of the entire character list in the book.
Elizabeth Proctor
The wife of John Proctor, Elizabeth, experiences internal struggles similar to the
ones of her husband. Just as John faces difficulties in forgiving himself for his sins, Elizabeth has
a hard time forgiving her husband for his unfaithfulness towards her. Eventually, they both end
up choosing forgiveness over the bitterness that is to carry a contemptuous attitude towards the
wrongdoings. Although being the victim of her husband’s crimes, Elizabeth finds faults of her
own, which enables her to both understand John, and forgive him for his sins:
“ELIZABETH: I have read my heart this three month, John. [Pause]
I have sins of my own to count. It needs a cold wife to prompt lechery.”
18
17
Arthur Miller, The Crucible (p. 124, l. 32-33), 2000 © Penguin Classics
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As such, it can be argued that the character development of these two characters
is parallel, as shall be explained in further detail below.
The Integrity and Compassion of John and Elizabeth Proctor
As husband and wife, John and Elizabeth undergo tremendous strain on their
marriage after an act of adultery is exposed. After John lays with Abigail Williams of the same
village, he feels a lurking of constant suspicion and doubt from his wife, concerning his every
word and action. Meanwhile, as he has trouble dealing with his sinful act, Elizabeth also faces
difficulties in forgiving her husband for this misdeed that leaves her a victim.
However, they help each other in overcoming the obstacle that initially divides
and weakens them. Prior to John’s arrest, after his verbal confession, he and Elizabeth discuss
their uneasiness around each other, and the “elephant in the room”, that is John’s affair:
“PROCTOR: … Let you look sometimes for the goodness in me, and judge me not.
ELIZABETH: I do not judge you. The magistrate sits in your heart that judges you.
I never thought you but a good man, John […] only somewhat bewildered.
19
The passage above reveals that the couple do in part reconcile their conflict,
before the climactic point in act four, in which they achieve complete forgiveness. As previously
mentioned, Elizabeth does not attempt to maintain her innocence throughout the entire play,
but eventually comes to terms with what pushed John into his unfaithful misdeed. It is this
realization, in combination with John’s determination to keep his name unsoiled, which draws
an indistinguishably transparent and uniting bond between Elizabeth’s compassionate attitude
and John’s unbreakable morality, and lets John die with peace in his soul and his dignity intact,
having finally achieved the forgiveness he sought, from not only his wife, but from himself as
well.
Discussion of The Crucible as a critique of McCarthyism
Before the similarities between the witch-hunts dramatized in Arthur Miller’s play
and the “Red Scare” of 1950’s McCarthyism can be clearly seen, it is first necessary to take a look
at and understand McCarthyism, how it originated, why it spread like wildfire, and the elements
of which it consists. After these components of the terrifying phenomenon that is McCarthyism
have been explained, a deeper analysis and discussion of The Crucible as critique thereof will be
presented.
18
Arthur Miller, The Crucible (p. 119, l. 19-21), 2000 © Penguin Classics
19
Arthur Miller, The Crucible (p. 55, l. 28-32), 2000 © Penguin Classics
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McCarthyism and the Red Scare
When speaking of McCarthyism, one of a few popular descriptive terms that often
comes up, is the second Red Scare. Not to be confused with the first Red Scare
20
, which was
popular only briefly after the First World War, the second Red Scare intensified in the U.S. as the
Cold War progressed from the late 1940’s to the early 1950’s
21
. Popularly defined as the fear of
communism, it was a phenomenon that occurred through the exploitation of the vulnerable state
U.S. citizens found themselves in, as the Cold War was ongoing. The people feared the presence
of communism, as Soviet Union of said political ideology was the greatest threat the U.S. had
faced in a long time. The Red Scare’s definition, and how it was provoked, leads us to
McCarthyism, which can most easily be defined as the following:
McCarthyism (n.): the practice of making unsubstantiated accusations of disloyalty or Communist
leanings […] [Or] the use of unsupported accusations for any purpose.”
22
Joseph Raymond McCarthy, after whom the ism in question is named, was a U.S
Senator who achieved his position by the means of negative campaigning
23
, in which one
purposely attempts to highlight negative aspects of an opposing candidate, and these aspects
need not necessarily be true for the claims to be made anyway.
Former Senator McCarthy was facing difficulties at his position in the Senate, and,
after a consultation with his closest advisors, decided to redirect the negative focus he had
attained by the public towards something his advisors thought would be easy targets:
communists
23
. McCarthy utilized the potential for the Red Scare he saw amongst U.S. citizens,
and set in motion a witch-hunt that would result in a case of widespread panic that is today
known as McCarthyism. McCarthy’s movement was eventually put to a halt by former President
Dwight D. Eisenhower, and was afterwards regarded as a malicious and power hungry man.
The Crucible and McCarthyism
Released in 1953, the play by Arthur Miller was well-received, and quickly became
critically acclaimed as an accurate depiction of the hypocrisy and hysteria that was
McCarthyism. As a review from Brooks Atkinson reveals, no qualms were had of drawing a
parallel between the witch-hunts of America in the colonial times as well as in the
contemporary present day of the play’s release:
20
Jamie Kern, The Red Scare (), The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History & Culture, Dec. 12
th
, 2013
21
History.com Editors, Red Scare (n.d.), History.com, A&E Television Networks, LLC.
22
Collins English Dictionary Editors, McCarthyism (n.d.), The Free Dictionary by Farlex
23
John Simkin, Joseph McCarthy: Biography, Spartacus Educational,
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“Neither Mr. Miller nor his audiences are unaware of certain similarities between the perversions
of justice then and today.”
24
However, regarding the very fabric of the play, various examples can be used to
demonstrate Arthur Miller’s intentions of portraying McCarthyism as an old-fashioned witch-
hunt, and a select few of these will be discussed in the sections below.
Unsubstantiated Claims and Spectral Evidence
Amongst the most easily noticed examples of similar elements might be the active
usage of accusations based upon unstable foundations, in both the village girls of Salem’s case,
as well as Senator McCarthy’s.
The girls who were thought to be possessed by the devil, at the time of the Salem
Witch Trials, accused people of witchcraft without any real evidence, resorting only to their
hysterical fits, which seemed like the work of the devil. As a result, they succeeded in having
many of those people hanged. Likewise, Senator McCarthy presented a list of over 200
“confirmed” communist party members in the U.S. Department of State, without any substantial
proof, and the list was eventually discovered to be almost entirely false.
Fear of Suspicion and Judgment
Another similarity worthy of mention is the impressive lack of resistance found in
both of the compared periods. It could be argued that the reason for this was people’s fear of
being drawn into the conflict, and immediately viewed as a witch in the time of colonial Salem,
or a communist in the time of McCarthy’s seat in the senate.
Arthur Miller: The Un-American?
Possibly one of the most noteworthy details that were not made public until four
years after the release of his play, Arthur Miller was in 1957 charged with contempt of Congress.
The details pertaining to the reason for this charge, and why he was blacklisted by Hollywood
25
,
present an interesting factor to consider when discussing The Crucible as a critique of
McCarthyism.
Miller was called to testify in front of HUAC
26
in order to present the names of
communist party members, but refused to do so. In a later statement by the charged author, he
revealed why he thought there might be suspicions revolving his knowledge of communist party
members:
24
Brooks Atkinson, The Crucible, The New York Times, Jan. 23
rd
, 1953
25
John Simkin, Arthur Miller: Biography, Spartacus Educational,
26
House of Un-American Activities Committee
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“There were two short periods one in 1940 and one in 1947 when I was sufficiently close to
Communist Party activities so that someone might honestly have thought that I had become a
member.”
27
Along with this statement, Miller issued a statement denying rumors that he was a
communist. Although the charges made against the acclaimed playwright were eventually lifted,
different conflicting rumors concerning his political views still exist to this day.
Conclusion
On the basis of the similarities discussed, a conclusion can be reached, which
clearly illustrates The Crucible as a direct critique of McCarthyism. Through the exploration and
analysis of the themes in the play written by Arthur Miller, and their correlation to the so-called
witch-hunt of the McCarthy period, it becomes apparent that history does indeed repeat itself,
as the playwright purposefully attempts to demonstrate, and that corrupt governmental control
thrives in times of fear, and indiscriminately utilizes the general ignorance in people’s
mentalities from which these times spawn.
27
Jewish Current Editors, Arthur Miller and HUAC (n.d.), Jewish Current.org, May 30
th
, 2010
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Bibliography
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th
,
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visited 12/14-2013
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th
,
2011 (http://historyofmassachusetts.org/the-curse-of-giles-corey/) Last visited 12/19-
2013
- Clay, Casey, How Did the Puritans in New England Interact with Native Americans,
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th
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2013
- Famous American Trials Editors, Death Warrants & List of Dead, Famous American
Trials (http://law2.umkc.edu/faculty/projects/ftrials/salem/asal_de.htm) Last visited
12/17-2013
- History.com Editors, Red Scare, History.com, A&E Television Networks, LLC.
(http://www.history.com/topics/red-scare) Last visited 12/19-2013
- History.com Editors, Salem Witch Trials, History.com, A&E Television Networks, LLC.
(http://www.history.com/topics/salem-witch-trials) Last visited 12/16-2013
- Jewish Current Editors, Arthur Miller and HUAC (n.d.), Jewish Current.org, May 30
th
, 2010
(http://jewishcurrents.org/may-31-arthur-miller-and-huac-1848) Last visited 12/20-
2013
- Kern, Jamie, The Red Scare (), The Encyclopedia of Arkansas History &
Culture, Dec. 12
th
, 2013 (http://www.encyclopediaofarkansas.net/encyclopedia/entry-
detail.aspx?entryID=4600) Last visited 12/19-2013
- Rothbard, Murray N., The Puritans “Purify”: Theocracy in Massachusetts, Ludwig von
Mises Institute (http://mises.org/page/1427) Last visited 12/18-2013
December 20
th
, 2013 SSO - HF 2.P
15/15
- Salem Witch Museum Editors, Salem Witch Trials of 1692, the, 2012 © Salem Witch
Museum (http://www.salemwitchmuseum.com/education/) Last visited 12/16-2013
- Shmoop Editors, The Crucible Title, Shmoop University, Inc., Nov. 11
th
, 2008
(http://www.shmoop.com/crucible/title.html) Last visited 12/18-2013
- Simkin, John, Arthur Miller: Biography, Spartacus Educational,
(http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAmillerA.htm) Last visited 12/20-2013
- Simkin, John, Joseph McCarthy: Biography, Spartacus Educational,
(http://www.spartacus.schoolnet.co.uk/USAmccarthy.htm) Last visited 12/19-2013
- U.S. National Archives Editors, Declaration of Independence, Official Transcript, U.S.
National Archives
(http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/declaration_transcript.html) Last visited
12/16-2013
Books and Articles
- Atkinson, Brooks, The Crucible, The New York Times, Jan. 23
rd
, 1953
- Bremer, Francis J., Puritanism: A Very Short Introduction, 2009 © Oxford University
Press
- Miller, Arthur, The Crucible, 2000 © Penguin Classics