Michael Nguyen
Colvin
English 3 AP
14 October 2016
Fighting the Witches of Then and Now: Arthur Miller’s Crucible Arthur Miller’s landmark play The Crucible reflects the growing fear of Communists during the Cold War era and the mass hysteria that arose and resulted in witch hunts for them. Playwright Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible in a climactic tone in order to discuss the issue of the Red Scare and the hunt for Communists. He specifically targeted everyday Americans that were involved or supported McCarthyism with the goal of creating an allegory between the Salem Witch Trials and the congressional trials of that time in the form of a play reflecting this idea. The message that Miller wished to send in The Crucible can be seen in the …show more content…
One of the biggest ideas that played into the witchcraft trials and the hunt for Communists was that there were only two solidly defined sides with no shades of gray in between them. While it’s clear that perspectives in between do exist, showing any sympathy towards the “bad” side or any reservations towards the “good” side is enough to get someone accused of being on the bad side of the issue. During the Red Scare, you either fully supported communists or fully supported democracy (Miller 1). Similarly, in The Crucible, you either fully preached the name of God, or were a clear agent of the Devil. As Danforth states, “...we live no longer in the dusky afternoon when evil mixed itself with good and befuddled the world. Now, by God’s grace, the shining sun is up, and them that fear not light will surely praise it...” (Miller, The Crucible 87). The idea that many innocent people were tried during the Salem Witch Trials under this idea of only two clearly defined sides ties directly into the idea that Miller portrayed: that it is possible, and wrong, to try to divide a spectrum of perspectives into two rigidly defined
Colvin
English 3 AP
14 October 2016
Fighting the Witches of Then and Now: Arthur Miller’s Crucible Arthur Miller’s landmark play The Crucible reflects the growing fear of Communists during the Cold War era and the mass hysteria that arose and resulted in witch hunts for them. Playwright Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible in a climactic tone in order to discuss the issue of the Red Scare and the hunt for Communists. He specifically targeted everyday Americans that were involved or supported McCarthyism with the goal of creating an allegory between the Salem Witch Trials and the congressional trials of that time in the form of a play reflecting this idea. The message that Miller wished to send in The Crucible can be seen in the …show more content…
One of the biggest ideas that played into the witchcraft trials and the hunt for Communists was that there were only two solidly defined sides with no shades of gray in between them. While it’s clear that perspectives in between do exist, showing any sympathy towards the “bad” side or any reservations towards the “good” side is enough to get someone accused of being on the bad side of the issue. During the Red Scare, you either fully supported communists or fully supported democracy (Miller 1). Similarly, in The Crucible, you either fully preached the name of God, or were a clear agent of the Devil. As Danforth states, “...we live no longer in the dusky afternoon when evil mixed itself with good and befuddled the world. Now, by God’s grace, the shining sun is up, and them that fear not light will surely praise it...” (Miller, The Crucible 87). The idea that many innocent people were tried during the Salem Witch Trials under this idea of only two clearly defined sides ties directly into the idea that Miller portrayed: that it is possible, and wrong, to try to divide a spectrum of perspectives into two rigidly defined