Arthur Miller’s novel, The Crucible, is a brilliant work of historical fiction. He pulls ideas from his imagination, the Salem witch hunt, as well as McCarthyism. Arthur Miller uses many personal experiences from the age of McCarthyism to draw parallels to the Salem witch hunt. The fear and hysteria are just as vibrant in both situations although they are centuries apart. Miller is able to capture his own personal experiences and disguise them as those of people many years before him. Miller really emulated many of his own struggles and well as personality traits in The Crucible’s tragic hero, John Proctor. John and Arthur had the same personal struggle; their marriages were falling apart during a very crucial time. "All this I understood.
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Danforth and McCarthy have very common attributes between them. These men were very absorbed in their reputations and wanted to protect them, even if that meant eliminating others. Danforth and McCarthy also used their status to bully those below them into believing in their ideas. When challenged in the courtroom, Danforth immediately squashes the notation that he could be wrong, something that would greatly harm his reputation as a judge. Whenever he felt vulnerable, he would target the righteousness of another person’s morals. He gets defensive of his social standing easily, and saying that those who raise valid points “doubt [his] probity?” (10 Act 3) As shown by Danforth, the men would bullying people into keeping their mouths shut or make them feeling guilty for opposing him. They were able to do this by a suing the substantial amount of power they …show more content…
Miller 's The Crucible is an outlet to express his true feelings about the unfairness McCarthyism, which he has a very personal connection to. He refuses to let supporters of the panic alter his work. This defiance does not leave him on McCarthy 's good side, which ultimately leads to suspicion aroused by the senator himself. Miller is easily able to create the setting of Salem during the witch hunt into a metaphor for America in the 1950s as they had many parallels. These events show the disastrous effects of fear and paranoia, which is still evident in the world
Danforth and McCarthy have very common attributes between them. These men were very absorbed in their reputations and wanted to protect them, even if that meant eliminating others. Danforth and McCarthy also used their status to bully those below them into believing in their ideas. When challenged in the courtroom, Danforth immediately squashes the notation that he could be wrong, something that would greatly harm his reputation as a judge. Whenever he felt vulnerable, he would target the righteousness of another person’s morals. He gets defensive of his social standing easily, and saying that those who raise valid points “doubt [his] probity?” (10 Act 3) As shown by Danforth, the men would bullying people into keeping their mouths shut or make them feeling guilty for opposing him. They were able to do this by a suing the substantial amount of power they …show more content…
Miller 's The Crucible is an outlet to express his true feelings about the unfairness McCarthyism, which he has a very personal connection to. He refuses to let supporters of the panic alter his work. This defiance does not leave him on McCarthy 's good side, which ultimately leads to suspicion aroused by the senator himself. Miller is easily able to create the setting of Salem during the witch hunt into a metaphor for America in the 1950s as they had many parallels. These events show the disastrous effects of fear and paranoia, which is still evident in the world