To Kill A Mockingbird Vs The Crucible

Throughout American history, artists of every medium have attempted to capture controversial or impending issues within the country. Music, movies, and art have all reflected these problems within society, but none of these have accomplished the plight of American literature. From fiction to memoirs, millions of lives have been affected by these books, and have learned valuable lessons in some of the most unconventional ways. Two examples of historical fiction books that have helped shaped modern literature and that have taught valuable lessons include Harper Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird and Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. These two books are considered historical fiction because of their basis on real events, but due to the fact that these events …show more content…
One theme that is shared by both works is the sense of ostracism that some of the main characters experience. In To Kill A Mockingbird, Tom Robinson is completely ignored and is convicted for a crime he did not commit. The reasoning for his arrest, and guilty sentence is based primarily on his race, and the race of the plaintiff. People in the town obtain a sort of mob mentality against Tom, and against his attorney, Atticus, when they hear of the trial. In an online article entitled “Ostracism in Literature”, the novel is compared with Miller’s play and it is stated that because Lee’s character, “is an outcast in their society due to his race, it is easy for the people in the society to convict …show more content…
Both men are determined to tell the truth and are heavily committed to their families through thick and thin. While Proctor has committed a sin or two, he remains a respectful man who provides for his family, parallel to many of the citizens in Salem who wrongly accuse multiple people of witchcraft. While Proctor tries to end the madness and conflict, the secret of his affair with the young Abigail Williams is revealed and he is put to death. Despite his accusations towards Abigail and the other young ladies who are leading the witch hunt, nobody seems concerned. In an article for the Centre Daily Times giving a review of the play, a reporter tells the inspiration behind Miller’s ideas, “The play was originally written as a direct criticism of McCarthyism, the practice of making accusations without proper regard for evidence. Therefore, the main idea of the play is to encourage people to remain calm during crisis situations and to not jump to the worst conclusions” (Klose 2). In Lee’s To Kill A Mockingbird, Tom Robinson is imprisoned and later killed because rumors spread about him raping a white women. While he did have sexual relations with said women, his boss’ daughter, she was the one who had been sexually harassing him. However, the real evil is the young woman’s father, Bob Ewell, who encourages the mob to harass