Mccarthyism The Crucible

Literary Analysis of The Crucible During the 1950s, McCarthyism ran rampant throughout the United States. The act of accusing many political figures of belonging to the communist party is defined as McCarthyism. Today, it is often compared to a “Political Witch Hunt.” Author Arthur Miller was one of the political figures named for being a communist. Rather than allowing McCarthyists to defile his name entirely, he decided to fight back by writing a book to shed light on the injustice McCarthyism yielded. Miller’s The Crucible uses false accusations, the lying within the dialogue during the trial, and Miller’s commentary to connect McCarthyism to the Salem Witch Trials. Arthur Miller most notably ties McCarthyism into the Salem witch trials using false accusations. For example, when Mercy, Mary, Abby, and Betty are charged with dabbling in witchcraft, they turn and accuse numerous other members of the town of being witches in order to take the blame off themselves. As the story progresses, we learn that …show more content…
Examining the trial, Miller speaks of how the grudges played a large part in the accusations. A main reason for McCarthyism was to eliminate political figures concerning another’s benefit. To follow that up, Miller goes into great detail about how the Nurse family is resented for their social status. After his analysis about the Nurses, we find that the name of Rebecca Nurse has been called. The most unsettling piece of advice, however, is when Miller expresses his worry about the future, saying this: “When one rises above the individual villainy displayed, one can only pity them all, just as we shall be pitied someday.” Miller is aware that McCarthyism is unjust, and will one day be as disgraced as the Salem witch trials themselves. Fifty years later, it is recognized that Miller was correct in his