The Crucible vs. McCarthyism Essay

Arthur Miller's The Crucible vs. McCarthyism

Where choice begins, Paradise ends, innocence ends, for what is Paradise but the absence of any need to choose this action? stated by Arthur Miller, author of the play The Crucible. Miller wrote The Crucible during the McCarthy era, which was a period of time in the 1950s where anticommunism occurred in the United States. The United States government was engaged in a political repression of the Communist Party, leaders and other were being suspected of being communists. The McCarthy era was named after Joseph McCarthy who was claiming that he had a list of names that documented many important leaders and their affiliation with Communist Party. He made a public accusation that more than two-hundred communists had gain access into the United States government. In all, McCarthy was fallaciously accusing people of infiltrating with the government without any evidence. In relation to the play, Miller wrote about girls in Salem, Massachusetts falsely accusing people in the town of being witches because they felt their spirits come to them in the night which caused many people to be sent to jail and even to death. As stated before Millers play was written during the McCarthy era in which he used the McCarthy era as a metaphor for the Salem witch trials. He incorporated the political drama of the McCarthy into the play, The Crucible creating a mirror image of McCarthyism and is reflected through various connections in characters and themes.

During the McCarthy era and in the play it displays that the criminal justice system accuses people crimes of which they might be innocent. Some crimes might be preposterous and in some extreme cases people have gone on rampages like Abigail and McCarthy accusing other of certain crimes. In the play, which displays example of what happened during the Salem witch Trials, many people were accused of being witches. The town as a whole becomes caught up in the accusations that people in the witches and they all being turning on each other. It all begins when a group of teenage girls are caught in the woods dancing and chanting songs. The word of the girls spread across the town because a girl, Betty Paris, was put in to trance then all of the accusing begins because of the thought of spirits being present in people. For example Elizabeth Proctor was falsely accused by Abigail because Abigail thought she was being stabbed in the stomach by Elizabeth. The girl, the Williams girl, Abigail Williams, sir. She sat to dinner in Reverend Parriss house tonight, and without word nor warnin she falls to the floor. Like a struck beast, he says, and screamed a scream that a bull would weep to hear. And he goes to save her, and, stuck two inches in the flesh of her belly, he draw a needle out. And demandin of her how she come to be so stabbed, she testify it were your wifes familiar spirit pushed it in. an example for the play explaining the length that Abigail will go to make sure she has her way. Then Reverend Hale goes to Elizabeths house to search for any evidence that she might have hurt Abigail. A poppet is found with a needle in the stomach, but the poppet was given by her servant, Mary Warren, but they still accuse Elizabeth. This compares with McCarthy because some of the people who were being accused had formally attended a Communist party meeting even if they had not signed on they were still accused. In the hearings, people private lives were ruthlessly scrutinized, with both their personal relationships their affiliations with various organizations were being brought to question. Many of those accused had belonged to a labor union, which advocated workers rights. But in McCarthys eyes there innocent people were all potential terrorist and had to be brought to justice.

Many people were being falsely accused in both the Salem Witch Trials and also in the McCarthy era as stated before. The characters in the play are similar with the people in the McCarthy era. For example Abigail William, who represents Joseph McCarthy. Abigail in the play lies and manipulates her friends and the entire town also accuses innocent people which lead to their death. For example, Now look you. All of you. We danced. And Tituba conjured Ruth Putnams dead sisters. And that is all. And mark this. Let either of you breathe a word, or the edge of a word, about the other things, and I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you. Abigail is so controlling and threatens the girl that if they tell then there will be no mercy. Also Judge Danforth from the play, who abuses his government authority and power. Hang them high over the town! Who weeps for these, weeps for corruption. says Danforth to the crowd because John Proctor was standing up to him and he ripped up he confession and speaking of the truth. The vindictive trait that is present in McCarthy, who distorted evidence and manipulated people. An example of a person who was innocently accused is Rebecca Nurse from The Crucible who represents Lillian Hellmann. Rebecca was as woman with up holding morals, which is evident when she refused to confess the names of other witches. She does not want to get caught in a web of lies. The same goes with Lillian Hellman because she did not want to hurt the ones she knew just to save herself. She felt it was inhuman and dishonorable. The justice system is designed to protect the people that it serves but during the witch trials the accused victims had two choices death or imprisonment. This proves that the McCarthy accusations and the Salem Witch Trials were two periods in American history that demonstrates the outcome and consequences when the government authority and power is abused.

A common theme in both the both the play and in the McCarthy era was hysteria. McCarthy spread the message of anticommunism which proved as a spark that propelled the United States into an anticommunism state. He led investigations where people were encouraged to confess the names of Communist sympathizers to escape punishment. The same hysteria occurred in Salem as the characters in the play were either the accusers or the accused. For example John Proctor is a character that challenges the authority of Judge Danforth. This creates a conflict and Johns punishment is death or that he confesses he is a witch. I can. And theres your first marvel, that I can. You have made your magic now. For now I do think I see some shred of goodness in John Proctor. Not enough to wave a banner with, but white enough to keep from such dogs. Give them no tear! Tears pleasure them! Show honor now, show a stony heart and sink them with it! says John Proctor who ripped up his confession and told the crowd that everything that was going was false and people should not risk their lives for something that is false. That corruption will ruin people lives.

In conclusion Arthur Millers The Crucible was an influence in the time period. On the surface the play was just a way to get informational text across about history. But looking at the bigger picture and the deeper meaning the lesson is that once society becomes so blinded by corruption, it can lead to uncontrollable chaos, where cows roam the street and children roam free without parent restrain. This is what exactly happened in both the play and the McCarthy era because people became so consumed but the corruption that is became out of hand and complete chaos. Abigail, from the play, has the whole town believing that there were witches in the town and the spirits were coming to people and possessing them. In the McCarthy era, McCarthy claimed he had a list of names of people in Communist Party and had the public fearing and believing. Then he began to falsely accuse people of being associated with the Communist Party. I believe that Miller wrote The Crucible as a way of telling the future generation the despair that was felt by all Americans as a result of McCarthyism. Also that human kind can not bear to another instance of this immoral panic and use both real life examples of McCarthyism and The Crucible to ensure that events like the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism do not happen again.

Work Cited

"Arthur Miller's The Crucible." FCPS Home Page Redirect Page. Web. 13 Oct. 2009. .

"The Crucible." West Irondequoit Central School District. Web. 13 Oct. 2009. .

Miller, Arthur. Literature Timeless Voices, Timeless Themes The American Experience. New Jersey: Prentice Hall, 1999. Print. 1089-1169