Preview

The Real Meaning of the Crucible

Better Essays
Open Document
Open Document
757 Words
Grammar
Grammar
Plagiarism
Plagiarism
Writing
Writing
Score
Score
The Real Meaning of the Crucible
The Real Meaning of The Crucible In The Crucible, Arthur Miller comments on the absurdity of historical events or organizations such as the HUAC, McCarthyism, and the Red Scare by the accusations and reactions of the characters in the book. The HUAC (House Committee on Un-American Activities) was a committee started in 1934 to keep an eye on behavior that they thought to be subversive. The committee was created to keep and eye on all types of subversive behavior, but had a tendency to focus on people they thought were socialists or communists. The members of this committee had an abundance of power. They could accuse someone of subversive behavior or actions and could ask for a testimony. If the accused refused the testimony they would be blacklisted(Simkin). In The Crucible, Miller portrays Thomas Danforth and John Hathorne, judges in The Crucible, as the HUAC of the book. The townspeople of Salem are continuously accusing other people in the town of practicing witchcraft. Then the accused people are forced to testify. If the accused person admits to practicing witchcraft then they are not killed. If the accused person denies that he or she is a witch, they are killed(Miller). Miller is symbolizing the judges in the book to the HUAC. He is commenting on the irony of the HUAC and the judges in the Salem Witch Trials. Miller is showing that that the bias behavior of the HUAC to communists or socialists and the ironic punishment of the accused townspeople from the Salem Witch Trials in The Crucible are alike. McCarthyism is a practice named after a United States Senator named Joseph McCarthy who also was a member of the HUAC. McCarthyism is used when a person is accused of subversion or any other action that would harm the country or government without any proof. The act of McCarthyism refers mostly to the accusations of many innocent people being a communist or socialist. In The Crucible, several townspeople are tried for being witches and practicing


Cited: Simkin, John. “Un-American Activities Committee.” Spartacus Educational. 12 April 2010. . Miller, Arthur. The Crucible. New York: Penguin, 1987. Simkin, John. “McCarthyism.” Spartacus Eductional. 12 April 2010. . Simkin, John. “Red Scare.” Spartacus Educational. 12 April 2010. .
Continue Reading
View Writing Issues

You May Also Find These Documents Helpful

  • Good Essays

    Proctor and Elizabeth Relationship
    • 895 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Proctor and Elizabeth Relationship

    ‘The Crucible’ is a novel which was written by Arthur Miller in 1953. It takes place during the times of the Salem witch trials in Massachusetts. This was a time of much hypocrisy in the people of the town of Salem. Many people believed anything they heard or saw. Although The Crucible is fictitious, the story depicts the historical information of the Salem witch trials, and blends them with fictitious characters to create a very realistic plot and conflict in the story. Miller wrote this play as a response to the political environment in which he lived. The story relates to the McCarthy trials. During the 1950's Senator Joseph McCarthy accused many American leaders of being communists. This lead to many accusations that people were communists. Some people believed him because they had fear of communism. McCarthy was, in effect, conducting "witch hunts". The Red Scare was a witch hunt where the US government was searching for "dangerous communists." Accusations came from left and right, much the same as the characters did for "real witches" in The Crucible. This meant that people were forced to either confess to the crime of witchery or shove the blame towards a different person. As an effect of this bias, the accused were never discharged, but were given the opportunity to confess to the crime of witchcraft to lessen their sentence. With the red scare, the accused were given a chance to give up names of other suspected communists to lessen their sentence as well. In both situations, there were people who confessed even though they had no relation to the crime at all. The majority, however, valued their morals and refused to give into political pressure by lying. This is shown as abuse of power. The puritans were a group of English Protestants in the 16th and 17th century. The entire plot of the novel is moulded by the repressive Puritan society. Like many puritan women, Elizabeth Proctor is dutiful and loves her husband dearly. Yet, Elizabeth is hurt by the fact…

    • 895 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Why Did Arthur Miller Wrote The Crucible
    • 418 Words
    • 2 Pages

    Why Did Arthur Miller Wrote The Crucible

    The author purpose to write this story is to explain why he wrote The Crucible, what pushes him to write such a story. Arthur Miller tried to make life real by showing that things get repeated in history. The McCarthy trials are similar to Salem Witch trials. People were being accused for things that they never did and do not have any proof that they did these thing. The Crucible shows that whatever is happening now happened before, and we are repeating the history. It is important for people to remember so they do not make any more mistakes,or make up any silly stories that will affect society The anti-communist rage in the McCarthy era and the Salem witch trial in Massachusetts destroyed people's lives; the mass hysteria that swept the United States.…

    • 418 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Examples Of Mccarthyism In The Crucible
    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Examples Of Mccarthyism In The Crucible

    The era of McCarthyism was one of blame and accusations. McCarthy and his followers looked for anyone and everyone they could to victimize as communist believers. Arthur Miller, the author of The Crucible, was one of those many. As a famous play-writer during this time, Miller was blacklisted by McCarthy for refusing to testify in front of the HUAC (House of Un-American Activities Committee), and through this he realized a common social issue that can be applied world wide. Arthur Miller argues that during times of crisis, in order for strong people to preserve their own power and reputation, they often point fingers at the weak first to distract others from their own guilt.…

    • 713 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Similarities Between The Crucible And John Proctor
    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Similarities Between The Crucible And John Proctor

    The allegory of Arthur Miller and McCarthyism began when Miller wrote The Crucible which shows the similarities between the Salem witch trials and the Red Scare. The fear of the the crucible still in some people as it did in the fifties “the play seems to be about the dilemma of relying on the testimony of small children accusing adults of sexual abuse, something I'd not have dreamed of forty years ago.” Arthur Miller once stated “The…

    • 624 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    red scare and the crucible
    • 632 Words
    • 3 Pages

    red scare and the crucible

    At the time when “The Crucible” was written, the United States and Russia were going through the Red Scare which was a major influence when Miller was writing this play. Miller’s tactic in writing this play was to remind people of how the hysteria of the witch hunts could be dangerously similar to the communist hunts going on in the United States at the time. Using the history from the Salem Witch Trials, he wrote a story that was sure to educate people about the potential disaster that could come from the carelessness of accusing others.…

    • 632 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Crucible
    • 973 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Crucible

    It has been said many times that if people don't learn from their mistakes they are doomed to repeat them, such is the case throughout history. There are many different examples of this, but one example is the blatant similarities between the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts and the era of McCarthyism. When considering the nature of these events, it is hard to believe that they could have actually happened, not would only once, but twice. If one would take the time to compare these events he or she will be able to see numerous similarities between them. In The Crucible Miller relates an analogy of the witch trials in Salem to the investigation of communists by Joseph McCarthy. There are many similarities between these two events in history.…

    • 973 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Rhetorical Analysis
    • 1093 Words
    • 5 Pages

    Rhetorical Analysis

    In the late 1940’s through the late 1950’s McCarthyism was a wide spread epidemic here in America. The government had a very intense suspicion that there were influences of communism on our soil. Many were accused and prosecuted for “un-American activities” throughout the states. The FBI had no grounds or evidence to stand on when accusing these people. The Salem witch trials in The Crucible were very similar to these situations. Witten by Arthur Miller The Crucible was Miller’s way of protesting and speaking out against these trials while trying not to draw any attention to him. He uses many rhetorical devices to help better his message as it if brought forth to the reader. Irony, repetition, imagery, and metaphors are examples of some of the devices Miller uses to capture the reader and keep the story on track with the protest of McCarthyism.…

    • 1093 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Crucible vs. Army-Mccarthy Hearings
    • 481 Words
    • 2 Pages

    The Crucible vs. Army-Mccarthy Hearings

    The Crucible, a play written by famous author Arthur Miller, was inspired by Army-McCarthy Hearings. The book was written as a reaction to a tragic time in our countries history. The McCarthy hearings, as they came to be known, which dominated our country from 1950 to 1954, where hearings in which many, suspected of being related to communism, where interviewed and forced to give up names of others, or they where imprisoned, and their names were black listed. One of the similarities of these 2 eras is the ¨scare factor¨. In the area (country), a fear was released to the public. Everybody was afraid to speak up, tell their opinions in public, they all were afraid of being suspected to be against the ¨truth¨ which was the idea what leaders believed at the time. Also, in the government systems, the ¨everybody is doing it¨ mentality was spread. Other parallel is, lives were ruind because of accusations and punishments.…

    • 481 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Crucible
    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages

    The Crucible

    In Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, the Salem Witch Trials were filled with the same sins that were also shown in modern-day McCarthyism. In comparison, McCarthyism was a post-WWII investigation of Communists in the United States Government that involved blatant lies given by Joseph McCarthy that can relate to the lies shown by the townspeople of Salem during the Witch Trials. Specifically, three of the townspeople showed their sins the most; Abigail Williams, John Proctor, and Thomas Putnam. The sins of wrath and lust were shown by Abby during the Witch Trials that she started. Second, Proctor showed much pride during the trials as well as revealing his previous lust for another. Lastly, Thomas Putnam is a greedy man with gluttony for land and shows it in his attitude towards some townspeople. Therefore, the three townspeople mentioned in Arthur Miller’s, The Crucible, will be punished for their sins whether they seek penitence or not.…

    • 905 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    The Crucible Symbolism Essay
    • 507 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Crucible Symbolism Essay

    Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible in 1953, just when the Second World War had ended. But still there was a battle between the capitalists and the communists. Arthur Miller wrote this book because of the incidents that occurred during the 1950’s. Senator Joseph McCarthy had a feeling of communism in the United States. So he starts a witch hunt to find the communists in the United States and he targeted celebrities of Hollywood such as Helen Keller, Langston Hughes and Charlie Chaplin put them all on trial for been associated with the Communist Party. This also parallels into Arthur Miller’s Crucible where people were put on trial based on supernatural evidence such as the Red Scare when McCarthy accused people with little to no real evidence.…

    • 507 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Allegory In The Crucible
    • 843 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Allegory In The Crucible

    Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a very wise piece that perfectly explains the story of two time periods. 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. The two time periods were more than two and a half centuries apart, yet they had many factors that overlapped. Miller explains the McCarthy trials through The Crucible by teaching people’s fears, faults, and politics, making the text both a metaphor to the trials and an allegory.…

    • 843 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Better Essays

    The Crucible Allegory Analysis
    • 1429 Words
    • 6 Pages

    The Crucible Allegory Analysis

    A quote by Edward R. Murrow states, “No one man can terrorize a whole nation unless we are all his accomplices.” During the Red Scare, Senator McCarthy did terrorize a whole nation, and Arthur Miller became a victim of McCarthyism. 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 develops an allegory in The Crucible by comparing the Salem Witch Trials to McCarthyism by using ringleaders, persecuted couples, and hypocrisy in the government or legal system.…

    • 1429 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Better Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Similarities Between The Crucible And The Mccarthy Era
    • 899 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Similarities Between The Crucible And The Mccarthy Era

    You ask me what parallels there are between the play The Crucible and the event The McCarthy Era. There were many parallels throughout the whole play. In this play everyone was blamed for no reason at all and all everyone one did was make excuses to try and not get their own selves in trouble. They were always wondering why everyone was getting tricked into believing that witches existed and it was because they were all just trying to get themselves out of trouble. Arthur Miller shows the audience that people have not moved on that much from when people were believing in the Salem witch trials. All through this play, Miller used the trails in The Crucible and the McCarthy Era because he realized that the events were the same. Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible to help everyone today, who wasn’t alive back then, notice that they were not going crazy they were just trying to keep themselves alive and just they were believing everything they heard.…

    • 899 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Good Essays

    Salem Witch Trials V. Mccarthyism
    • 546 Words
    • 3 Pages

    Salem Witch Trials V. Mccarthyism

    The Salem witch trials and the Red Scare both involved ongoing accusations that led to numerous innocent people being accused. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, local teenage girls accuse women in the town of witchcraft. When the teenage girls first accuse Tituba, the Reverend’s housekeeper, a chain of accusations begin. To avoid death, Tituba accused others in the town causing each of the accused to place blame on others. The Crucible is a metaphor for the accusations made in the 1950’s during the Red Scare era. Senator Joseph McCarthy led the series of allegations with a list of people he felt were related somehow to communism. The list that was compiled grew as more people accused others for personal revenge. The continuous accusing went on until the original list of over 200 grew to almost 10,000. The accusations would not have lead to any consequences without a leader to oversee the proceedings.…

    • 546 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Good Essays
    Read More
  • Powerful Essays

    A parrallel between HUAC and the Crucible
    • 2412 Words
    • 6 Pages

    A parrallel between HUAC and the Crucible

    Arthur Miller 's play is written in a way that really shows the parrallels between the Salem witch trials and McCarthyism of the mid 50s. This is because Miller wrote this play during the crisis that created a mass-hysteria against the communism. Both the play and the McCarthy period started after a long period of uncertainty among the two populations. As the colonists (in The Crucible) landed in America, they feared many things. They were frigthened of the Natives because they were said…

    • 2412 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Powerful Essays
    Read More

Related Topics