Corruption Of Witches In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

Improved Essays
Fear; the Destroyer
Fear leads corrupt powers to alienate what one would call society. In Nazi Germany, the Jews feared Adolf Hitler who sought to destroy all people who followed the religion. Hitler notioned that the Jews destroyed Germany, which left them in mass poverty and hysteria. Therefore, witches from The Crucible in The Salem Witch Trials is another example of this. Abigail Williams, dancing in the woods, is unearthed at the wrong time by the wrong man, and to spite people who accused her of witchcraft, she conned people that other witches are roaming in Salem. Also Abigail starts accusing other innocent people out of fear to clean her name of any astringents. Furthermore, in the article Red Scare, America, currently
…show more content…
What they soon unearth is that if one is accused of witchcraft, they could simply plead guilty, accuse someone else, and get away with it. Evidently, this lead to mass hysteria throughout the townspeople, and Salem. The Soviet Red Scare in America was a mass tension between communists of Russia and America 's Safety in the Cold War. “Elected officials from both major parties sought to portray themselves as staunch anticommunists, and few people dared to criticize the questionable tactics used to persecute suspected radicals,” (Red Scare). Therefore, citizens listed, and obeyed, to every possible stride taken by the government that would supposedly protect America. Without fear, people would never put up for the government to enact Executive order 9835, which mandated the that all federal employees must be analyzed to determine whether they were sufficiently loyal to the government. (Red Scare). Furthermore, Fear makes people blind to the truth, and without people realizing that there is wrong in the actions being taken by certain officials, hysteria is only the next step at the end of the …show more content…
Furthermore, Abigail Williams, continues to accuse countless more people, for she knows she is doing wrong, but she makes sure to ensnare fear into the townspeople. Fear being aura 'd off Abigail shows how she turned her own fear, into corrupt power, and through these illogical accusations, gave her a place of royalty in the town. Furthermore, In Red Scare, there were thousands of Americans who had their lives disrupted because of the communist scare. They were hounded by law enforcement, alienated from (Red Scare) friends and family, and fired from their jobs and, “most others were the victims of false allegation or had done nothing more than exercise their democratic right to join a political

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    The Salem Witch Hunt was a series of execution that took place in 1692 after a group of young women began having fits and accused several people of bewitching them. The accusers were named based on conflicts and other factors that they had with the afflicted girls and others. The Puritan’s fear of the Devil made their society more susceptible to the hysteria. Puritan religious beliefs, Puritan attitudes toward women and also their interaction between the natural and the supernatural phenomena played vital roles in the contribution of the Salem Witch Hunt hysteria.…

    • 724 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    One way the trial in Salem is like the communist scare involves fear and corrupt authority figures as the causes. In Salem the authority figures took advantage of their power. In The Crucible Abigail uses her superiority when she enforces a threat upon the girls in order to keep them quiet about committing witchcraft in the forest. Abigail stated to the girls,”I will come to you…

    • 600 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Salem Witch Trials was a horrible piece of american history. Many people died because of the accusations made by others. Then nearly three hundred years later, the problem began again. In the 1940s-50 people were accused of being communist or communist sympathizers. This would eventually cause mass hysteria; which is when a group acts irrational out of fear, and would cause people to lose their career.…

    • 1060 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Imagine living in a society where everyone is scared for their lives and the innocent lie to keep themselves safe. During the times of the Red Scare and the Salem witch trials, this was common everyday life. The Salem witch trials consisted of events which accused the innocent of being witches. Similarly, throughout the McCarthyism era, innocent people were accused of being communists with no solid proof. The Salem witch trials initiated in the spring of 1692, “after a group of young girls in Salem Village, Massachusetts, claimed to be possessed by the devil and accused several local women of witchcraft.”…

    • 1856 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “Use Power Wisely” During the late 1940’s and early 2950’s the fear of communism spread through America like wildfire. Investigations took place and the outcome was based on a few people with authority. The judge or investigator decided the future of these suspects. Many people went to jail or had their lives destroyed based on little evidence. The Red Scare was very similar to the Salem Witch Trials in the1690’s.…

    • 1212 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Crucible’s Blind Truth Arthur Miller’s portrayal of mass hysteria accurately depicts the enormity of unjudicial falsehoods from a communal perspective. The Crucible’s setting is in the small town of Salem, Massachusetts in 1692 when the controversial witch trials occurred. Parallel similarities arise to the way in which the Red Scare affected the people of the 1950s. Many of which became fully blind to truth of who was at fault for this mass hysteria. In Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, Elizabeth Proctor, Judge Danforth, and Abigail Williams are largely blind to the truth that holds them back from achieving true justice.…

    • 926 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    “YOU’RE A WITCH!” “YOU’RE A COMMUNIST!” Imagine you’ve been brought to a court or government panel, even though you haven't committed any crime or been charged with one. You are questioned about your political or biblical values and are accused of disloyalty or of being a witch and are asked to incriminate your friends, neighbors and associates. If you don’t cooperate, you risk jail, losing your job, or are killed; this occurred during the Salem witch trials and the McCarthyism era.…

    • 1043 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The witches were feared in Salem. People were scared to go against McCarthy because then others would consider them a communist. No one was afraid to go up against the witches and get them to get out. Over 320 people were accused of being communists and trying to overthrow the government. Tens of thousands of people were accused of being witches and many were killed.…

    • 1474 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Looking back at the Salem Witchcraft Trials of 1692, and later on in the McCarthy trials, you can determine that fear was a ruling factor in the behavior of those involved. Arthur Miller was unmistaken when he stated in Why I wrote The Crucible: An Artist’s Answer to Politics by Arthur Miller that “fear doesn’t travel well; …it can warp judgment” (1). The fear that was instilled upon the people of Salem was that if anyone opposed the trials they were not only accused of overthrowing the court, they were also accused of overthrowing God – provoking charges of witchcraft. By using biblical allusions, Parris’ eager pursuit for “justice,” and Abigail’s vindictive actions Miller demonstrates through The Crucible that the application of power can instill so much fear in others that they succumb to submitting to immoral…

    • 688 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    In author Arthur Miller’s article, “Are You Now or Were You Ever?”, the traumatic anti-communist trials of the 1950’s that took place in American society are thoroughly described. Miller’s purpose is to provide a clear picture of events and behaviors that emerged during this turbulent time period. He adopts a contemplative and didactic tone in order to make his audience reflect on the effects of their actions in order to not permit history to repeat itself. Miller presents his argument that paranoia leads to purposeless consequences that result in ruinous behavior, in a variety of distinct ways throughout this article. Miller opens up his article, “Are You Now…

    • 1128 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The last person someone would ever expect to turn on them is their neighbors, friends, or even relatives, but the people of Salem, Massachusetts often found themselves in this situation. In 1692, a small town called Salem on the coast of Massachusetts began a horrific time period which was named the “Salem Witch Trials.” Innocent people were being hung because of these girls that pointed their fingers at someone they felt like accusing. The witch hunts that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts back in 1692 were not the only witch hunts that plagued the history of the United States. Joseph McCarthy, a Senator from Wisconsin, led a group that intensely investigated and punished anyone being suspected of being communist or anyone that was for the…

    • 1064 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    The Salem Witch Trials were a bloody time in colonial America during the 1600’s, depicted in Arthur Miller 's play, The Crucible. The events of the trials in the play are dramatically depicted, although the plot gives an accurate prediction of what would happen during a time of mass hysteria. Many characters have contributed to the mass hysteria, but some are more to blame than others. The character Mary Warren is more to blame than the character Abigail Williams because Mary is easily manipulated, has switched sides during the trials, and was not forthright with evidence.…

    • 1752 Words
    • 8 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Two Horrific Events Based on Lies The Salem Witch Trials ended with about 200 people being accused of “witchcraft”, and during the Red Scare, over a thousand people were accused of being part of the communist party. The Red Scare and the Salem Witch Trials may have happened centuries apart, but were very similar in many different ways. The McCarthy hearings and The Salem Witch Trials were two very horrific occurrences in America 's’ history that were based on lies and a complete lack of facts and it is very important to learn about these events so that people can be better informed in the future. It is beneficial to learn about these topics together to gain a better understanding of each event.…

    • 1481 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Can you imagine the people you love, your family or your neighbors, dying one by one around you? How would you react in a reality of witch accusations and inevitable deaths in a place you call home? Near and in Salem, Massachusetts, 1692, a series of various convictions of witchcraft led to the executions that are now infamously known as the Salem Witch Trials. The main fuel behind this fire of violence is made apparent in Arthur Miller’s The Crucible to be the effects of hysteria and paranoia rooted from fear. Hysteria is defined as a condition affecting a group of people, characterized by mostly anxiety and excitement, irrational behavior or inexplicable symptoms of illness.…

    • 1151 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Allegory In The Crucible

    • 746 Words
    • 3 Pages

    In both The Crucible and Red scare, if you get accused, your dead. Anyone would be able to accuse anyone and get away with it. In The Crucible witchcraft was a scary thing, as the same for communism in the Red scare, America was scared of communism in their country so to stop it they would imprison any suspected communists. They would either keep them in prison or kill them afterwards to disperse any further communist acts that they may commit. In The Crucible, after a while of being trialed, they found it to be easier and quicker to kill the suspects on the…

    • 746 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays