The Crucible: The Modern Witch-hunt
The themes of novels and plays often reflect the time period they were written in. The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, was written in the early 1950s, the same time the McCarthy hearings occurred. The Crucible has many parallels to McCarthyism, most evident are scapegoating leading to witch-hunts, the atmosphere of fear created, and the leading of witnesses.In 1950, the Soviet Union possessed the atomic bomb, Mao's army had seized power in China, and America's power over the world appeared to be rapidly decreasing. Americans began to look for an answer and Senator McCarthy provided one by accusing many innocent government officials of being members of the Communist Party (Carlson 44). Answers were also sought after in The Crucible. After Betty Parris, Abigail Williams, and other village girls are discovered dancing in the forest by Reverend Parris, Betty Parris takes sick to her bed (Miller 9). To avoid punishment the girls claim witchcraft brought them to the woods and are eager to yell out the names of
This tactic was also used in the Salem witch-trials. the witches whose magic forced them there (Miller 40-46). In both the Salem witch-trials and the McCarthy time periods, scapegoating became an easy way out and quickly started witch-hunts. In The Crucible, Abigail Williams threatens her fellow accusers: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. While questioning Proctor, Danforth asks, " And when he come to you, what were his demand. While searching for names, Ann Putnam asked, "Sarah Good? Did you ever see Sarah Good with him? Or Osburn?" Soon after, Tituba claimed to have seen both Goody Good and Goody Osburn with the devil (Miller 43). Did he bid you to do his work upon he earth?" (Miller 129). In the 1950s, politicians who opposed McCarthy often found themselves jobless and accused of "protecting communists" (Carlson 45). ) This silent threat kept most from revealing the truth. Once Tituba, the Parris' black slave, confessed to witchcraft, she was asked to "name" names. Also, Ann Putnam, an older woman in the community, seized the opportunity to blame her seven dead infants on the supernatural, and accuses her midwives, including Rebecca Nurse, of witchcraft (Miller 44). The atmosphere of fear created by accusers in the Salem witch-trails and the McCarthy hearings are strikingly similar. In addition to the tension provided by the accusers, Danforth's escalating power over the courts increases the public fear, judge Danforth demonstrated his corrupted struggle for power by stating to Francis Nurse, "Do you know that near to four hundred are in the jails from Marblehead to Lynn, and upon my signature? And seventy-two condemned to hang by that signature?" (Miller 81). (Miller 19)After this, when Mary Warren tells Judge Danforth of the falseness in the girls' claims, Abigail Williams accuses Mary Warren of witchcraft and Mary Warren's claims were quickly revoked (Miller 109-111).
Common topics in this essay:
Reverend Hale,
Rebecca Nurse,
Abigail Williams,
Mary Warren's,
Betty Parris,
Arthur Miller,
Arthur Miller's,
Proctor Danforth,
Ann Putnam,
Senator McCarthy,
abigail williams,
judge danforth,
witch-hunts atmosphere fear,
periods history,
atmosphere fear,
scapegoating leading,
leading witch-hunts,
witch-hunts atmosphere,
salem witch-trials,
leading witness,
scapegoating leading witch-hunts,
atmosphere fear created,
leading witnesses,
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Acceptance Essays
