A virtually unkown senator by the name of Joseph McCarthy was propelled into infamy when while at a speaking engagement at thee Republican Womens Club of Wheeling, West Virginia he charged 205 persons in the U.S. State Department of being members of the Communist Party (Martine 8). Second, Proctor showed much pride during the trials as well as revealing his previous lust for another. Lets start off with some background on who Joseph McCarthy was and what role he played in American politics. Could anyone think themselves safe? (Schiff 4). Why? He is upright and determined to do his duty for justice. novel) represents something else on a symbolic level -The entire play symbolizes the Red . the characters and plot developments in THE CRUCIBLE symbolize the individuals and events that took place during McCarthy's anti-communist campaign (e.g. To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. McCarthy, the creator of the idea McCarthyism, was a strong fighter against communism during the Red Scare. The Red Scare was a witch hunt where the US government was searching for "dangerous communists." Unfortunately, nobody actually doubted or suspected any of their mannerisms, and people were also scared of Joseph McCarthy and Thomas Danforth. This persecution of alleged subversives became known colloquially as "McCarthyism.". Apparently, certain processes are universal." He announces to the people of Salem that near to four hundred are in jails from Marblehead to Lynn, upon [his] signature (The Crucible page 87), which is reinforcing his power to everyone to ensure that they know that he is their superior and has much power over them. He had become fascinated with the environment of paranoia and how it affected society as a whole. The abandonment of reason in the face of hysteria is a clear common theme. After reading playwright Arthur Millers The Crucible, my interest in the social, cultural and religious context of the time was enhanced. Those are just a couple ideas; I hope they helped. Which character do you find the most intriguing? Is a voice of reason and justice in the town and is not a purtitan. Hated the fact that John and Abigail had an affair. Its not difficult to see the parallels between McCarthyism and The Crucible's plot. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'brighthubeducation_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_4',137,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-brighthubeducation_com-medrectangle-3-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'brighthubeducation_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_5',137,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-brighthubeducation_com-medrectangle-3-0_1');.medrectangle-3-multi-137{border:none!important;display:block!important;float:none!important;line-height:0;margin-bottom:7px!important;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;margin-top:7px!important;max-width:100%!important;min-height:50px;padding:0;text-align:center!important}McCarthyism: Joseph McCarthy, U.S. The practice of Senator Joseph McCarthy, in which he accused people of disloyalty, persuades the accused to incriminate friends and associates. If you continue to use this site we will assume that you are happy with it. The minister of Salem's church. Describe the political climate of the 1950s. Therefore, the three townspeople mentioned in Arthur Millers, The Crucible, will be punished for their sins whether they seek penitence or not., One of the first life lessons a child is taught growing up is that lying can only ever make a situation worse. Her activities are crucial to the development of the drama. John Proctor had an affair with Abigail, and now it is ruining his life. It seems crazy that society could be fooled into believing in things like witches and deal with the events in such an extreme manner. The Salem witch trials shared many common characteristics. "Theology, sir, is a fortress; no crack in a fortress may be accounted small", Language that appeals to the any of the 5 senses 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. What happened to the city during the war in Fahrenheit 451? Senator Joseph McCarthy, 1953 See how other students and parents are navigating high school, college, and the college admissions process. Giles already regrets mentioning that his wife, Martha Corey, read books, a statement that led to her imprisonment because it was assumed she was reading books about witchcraft and spells. Many people would agree that they no longer exist today; however Arthur Miller, author of the play, "The Crucible", points out that society has not come very far from the days of the Salem witch trials. Arthur Miller had great distaste for McCarthy's investigations in the early 1950s, and he claims to have written The Crucible in 1953 largely as a reaction to this tense political climate. Weak, insecure, paranoid, wants to be the leader in Salem, preaches by scaring people, he didn't care of the well being of his daughter, and everyone who's against him he tries to accuse him of some type of crime. We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. The list that was compiled grew as more people accused others for personal revenge. The Crucible is about these three things, which are represented by Giles Corey, Mary Warren, and Reverend John Hale. While the Salem witch trials occurred in the late 1600s, a similar unfortunate situation occurred in the 1950s with McCarthyism. The majority, however, valued their morals and refused to give into political pressure by lying. hbspt.cta.load(360031, '4efd5fbd-40d7-4b12-8674-6c4f312edd05', {}); Have any questions about this article or other topics? Puritans were a strict religous group that tolerated no devious behavior. Miller expresses important messages specifically about injustice, hysteria, and reputation. It is said to have. Americans believed the Soviet Union going to take over the government of the United States and Americans can lose their freedom. Abigail Williams represents Joseph McCarthy This is evident through the study of the characters John Proctor, Reverend Hale, Judge In studying The Crucible, you will inevitably be faced with questions about the play's connections to the "Red Scare" of the 1950s and the phenomenon known as McCarthyism.These connections are important because they demonstrate that The Crucible is not merely a (highly adapted) retelling of historical events but also an allegorical reference to the timelessness of certain central human flaws. Local farmer who lives just outside town and is a stern, harsh tongued, smart and had an affair with Abigail Williams. The Crucible represents a male-dominated world where the women have little power and are treated lesser and are most likely to be associated with the devil. An elderly but feisty farmer in Salem, famous for his tendency to file lawsuits. The fact that Salem was a Puritan community did not help matters either. The country had emerged from World War II as the undisputed leader of the West. This extends to the Puritan government and church, both being entrusted to protect its citizens, yet both doing the opposite. Copyright 2022 Bright Hub Education. Failure to do so led to sanctions. His greatest sin is his pride concerning his reputation. Is this a timeless cautionary tale. The dishonesty, brainwashing and manipulation exhibited by Abigail Williams, Mary Warren and the court is ultimately what allowed the witch trials to occur and to continue., The main difference between McCarthyism and the Crucible is that McCarthyism was a real political period in the United States when Senator McCarthy tried to scare people that communism was leaking into our government but as for the crucible it was a group of people that was just accusing other people of witchcraft. The Crucible: Those who are accused are assumed guilty, put on trial, expected to confess, and expected to accuse others of being witches. This is similar to a time in the 1950s when Joseph McCarthy accuses government officials of communism and that ultimately leads to hundreds of citizens losing their jobs. ", Latest answer posted October 02, 2020 at 10:46:39 AM. Conservatives in the US feared that anyone who had any affiliation with the Communist Party was a potential threat to national security because they couldnt be trusted to remain loyal to the US. Abigail Williams, the niece of Reverend Paris, is a key figure. In 1956, Miller was subpoenaed by HUAC after attempting to renew his passport before traveling to Belgium for the opening of The Crucible. To view our updated curriculum, visit our 10th Grade English course. Abigail has Mary Warren fooled. For them that quail to bring men out of ignorance, as I have quailed, and as Latest answer posted November 22, 2020 at 12:05:25 PM, In The Crucible, explain what Elizabeth means when she says, "He have his goodness now, God forbid I take it from him. Miller was a political advocate against the inequalities of race in America. "God is dead", External (person vs. person, person vs. nature, person vs. society) The crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller in 1953. People will go to great lengths to avoid being ostracized by society, including, in many cases, betraying their true beliefs and selling out their friends. During McCarthyism, the HUAC would force the accused people to cite others, so they could be exonerated. (C) an operator of machinery Also, in the government systems, the everybody is doing it mentality was spread. Just a year earlier a witch in the nearby town of Beverly was executed and now the witch hysteria had spread to their village. It is a common belief that witch hunts are things of the past. The Second Red Scare happened between 1947-1954 and Sen. Joseph McCarthy feared that Soviet, Korean and Chinese communist spies occupied the federal government which later turned out to be false. Reverend John Hale A young minister reputed to be an expert on witchcraft. Who caused the Salem Witch Trials in The Crucible? ~ Adultery Anyone deemed suspicious was issued a subpoena by the committee and subsequently questioned about their political activities and the activities of other potential subversives. President Eisenhower, who never liked McCarthy and had great respect for the military as a former commander, decided things had finally gone too far. Like many puritan women, Elizabeth Proctor is dutiful and loves her husband dearly. The Language of Composition: Reading, Writing, Rhetoric, Lawrence Scanlon, Renee H. Shea, Robin Dissin Aufses, Literature and Composition: Reading, Writing,Thinking, Carol Jago, Lawrence Scanlon, Renee H. Shea, Robin Dissin Aufses, Edge Reading, Writing and Language: Level C, David W. Moore, Deborah Short, Michael W. Smith. He warned the citizens of the United States that we had lost to China and Communism would spread to Europe too. It has been proven that Arthur changed the story on purpose to use it as an allegory for the anti-communist Red Scare to get across to the government of what they were actually doing. "Who represents whom in The Crucible, and why?" A person or group made to bear the blame for others or to suffer in their place McCarthyism, named for Wisconsin senator. The Second Red Scare happened between 1947-1954 and Sen. Joseph McCarthy feared that Soviet, Korean and Chinese communist spies occupied the federal government which later turned out to be false. In The Crucible, innocent people were in danger of being accused of witchcraft and during the reign of McCarthyism innocent people were being accused of communism. What SAT Target Score Should You Be Aiming For? McCarthyism: Those who were accused were assumed guilty, put on trial, and expected to divulge the names of other Communist sympathizers. Arthur Miller explained that one discovery he made while digging into the actual history of the Salem Witch Trials set his imagination on fire: Abigail Williams, the mover and shaker of the witch-finding craze, had been the Proctors's house servant for a short time. NOBODY WINS! No matter how farfetched the accusations were, the copious amount of lies told within the small town made it nearly impossible for anyone to know what really happened. Bridget Bishop, Sarah Good, Sarah Osburn, Isaac Ward, etc. Miller's Daughter With Daniel Day-Lewis Arthur Miller's daughter, Rebecca, with her husband Daniel Day-Lewis. Why, as individuals, do we fear others? Has some morals with John and has justice and reason. Parallels of McCarthyism and The Crucible led people to introspect on the McCarthy hearings and the Salem witch trials. Yet, one life lost in the result of millions after that seems like a sensible thought., The McCarthy Era and The Crucible can relate in many ways, in both of these times people were accused for wrong doings. However, she falls victim to the hysteria when the Putnams accuse her of witchcraft and she refuses to confess. Miller did in fact write communist theater criticism and was a greater private supporter of communism than he portrayed himself to be at the time, but he never actually joined the party. What object do the girls claim to see in the rafters of the courtroom? He asked everyone in Congress if he could borrow a pen. Today, scenarios like this can be even more insidious because "witch hunts" are conducted for types of people that really do exist. As a result of this, Arthur Miller created the character in his play, The Crucible who is a McCarthy-like character named Judge Thomas Danforth, who spread the fear of witchcraft among many people while encouraging his own power in 1692 during the Salem Witch Trials. These gaps in knowledge made peoples minds open to any kind of explanation. Originally, all Abigail wants is a man, John Proctor. The Crucible and McCarthyism can be compared to other modern forms of rumor, persecution, suspicion, and hysteria such as: Now that you've read the article, you can try your hand at answering some of these discussion questions. ", The McCarthy era, which took place during the 1950s in the United States was a time people was afraid of communism. Her illness and that of Ruth Putnam fuel the first rumors of witchcraft. The Battle of Shiloh: Civil War History Lesson Plan, Main Themes from The Crucible: Intolerance, Hysteria, and Reputation. 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. Martha's reading habits lead to her arrest and conviction for witchcraft. In The Crucible, Abigails character is similar to Senator Joseph McCarthy, the biggest practitioner of political McCarthyism. Samantha is also passionate about art and graduated with honors from Dartmouth College as a Studio Art major in 2014. Arthur Miller wrote this play as a commentary on the Red Scare that happened in the United States where people engaged in a "witch hunt" of communists. A Comprehensive Guide. The Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller in 1953 about The Salem Witch Trials of 1692.McCarthyism was the "witch hunt" for the communist in 1953.the parallels between The Crucible and McCarthyism are naming names,lack of proof ,and reststance. One of the similarities of these 2 eras is the scare factor. People were put to punishment and the only way out was to confess and give the names of your accomplices. Judge Danforth a character in The Crucible was a puritan leader who was against witches. The Crucible was set in the Puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts. How did McCarthy come up with his catalog of commies? Which commandments did John Proctor break? This number is a sign of the huge number of victims, executed in the play. Draw a line under the subject. The Army sent inside information about McCarthys abuses of power to his critics, and a storm of bad PR finally led to the loss of his position as chairman of the investigatory committee. The danger lies in assuming that purely because someone holds a political or religious belief, he or she must pose a threat. With the red scare, the accused were given a chance to give up names of other suspected communists to lessen their sentence as well. With our Essay Lab, you can create a customized outline within seconds to get started on your essay right away. Who are the main characters in the Crucible? -Reverend Hale begs people to lie, The audience knows something the characters do not -- results in suspense