The main themes in The Crucible include the destructive power of lies, the importance of reputation, and hysteria and corruption. eNotes Editorial, 9 June 2017, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/who-represents-whom-in-the-crucible-and-why-69913. Putnam is the single most narrow-minded, self-serving guy in the story. November 14, 1908- May 2, 1957 Joseph McCarthy was born and raised in Wisconsin to devoted and protective Catholics. Meanwhile, HUAC, McCarthy and the subsequent paranoia were growing stronger by the day. Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible during an interesting time in American history. I find Abigail to be the most intriguing character in the "The Crucible" because I feel she is manipulative and a home wrecker. the characters and plot developments in THE CRUCIBLE symbolize the individuals and events that took place during McCarthy's anti-communist campaign (e.g. Delusional girls make unsubstantiated claims about the existence of witches in Salem. This is similar to a time in the 1950s when Joseph McCarthy accuses government officials of communism and that ultimately leads to hundreds of citizens losing their jobs. In his memoir, Timebends, Miller sees a connection between the Salem witch trials and McCarthys campaign. In The McCarthy Era it was said that there was spies in the US that had gotten control of the atomic bomb. They have no proof. A reference to a famous work or famous literacy or historical character or event (bible references)-"where Abigail walks the crowd will part like the sea of Israel" . Deputy governor of Massachusetts and presiding judge of the Witch Trials, thinks he's honest and scrupu-lous and is convinced that he is doing right by convicting witchcraft even though there is no strong evidence suggesting that it even exist. What object is used as "evidence" to arrest Elizabeth Proctor in the attack on Abigail Williams? -Tituba's confession! While Miller did take some poetic license, combining characters and slightly altering their biographies, in fact, the characters in his play are all based on real characters who actually lived in Salem. Proctor would represent any rebellion movement against the red scare, and the voice of reason and logic against mass hysteria that often gets squelched in the craziness that accompanies any type of witch hunt. Is a voice of reason and justice in the town and is not a purtitan. As communist hysteria built, Miller was even more convinced that he wanted to write a play based on this form of collective insanity. The anti communist paranoia known as McCarthyism; influenced by a Sen. Joseph McCarthy, created chaos in the 1950s. The Crucible and 12 Angry Men are two plays with the same theme of justice that is expressed differently throughout each play. As an effect of this bias, the accused were never discharged, but were given the opportunity to confess to the crime of witchcraft to lessen their sentence. Why were the girls dancing in the forest on the evening before the play began? A man from Salem who acts as clerk of the court during the witch trials. Who was Abigails character similar to in the Crucible? In 1946 he was elected to the U.S. Senate, and in 1950 he publicly charged that 205 communists had infiltrated . In an allegory the character, events, and instances("Definition of Allegory" R104). Initially, it was known as The Chronicles of Sarah Good. The period of time play was written in was troubling at some senses for the USA. When we purchased a new computer system for our office, we hired a computer consultantconsultantconsultant to set up the system and train the staff to use it. Abby and the girls claim they see a bird - a metaphor for Mary's spirit, What does Judge Hathorne ask Mary Warren to do in court to prove she was pretending during her previous testimonies. Discuss how Millers point of view influences the reading of the play. Miller wrote The Crucible because he had a story to tell. The Crucible is a play by the American playwright Arthur Miller, it is a dramatized story of the Salem witch trials that took place in 1692. Abigail Williams (born c. 1681) was an 11 or 12-year-old girl who, along with nine-year-old Betty Parris, was among the first of the children to accuse their neighbors of witchcraft in 1692; these accusations eventually led to the Salem witch trials. The Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller in 1953 about The Salem Witch Trials of 1692.McCarthyism was the "witch hunt" for the communist in 1953.the parallels between The Crucible and McCarthyism are naming names,lack of proof ,and reststance. I've included a few different types of questions on this topic that you might encounter in your English class: Check out our full book summary of The Crucible so you can see for yourself how the play fits into its historical context. However, she falls victim to the hysteria when the Putnams accuse her of witchcraft and she refuses to confess. After each action verb write AVA VAV and after each linking verb write LVL VLV. McCarthy was, in effect, conducting "witch hunts". What object do the girls claim to see in the rafters of the courtroom? McCarthy's unsubstantiated claims ruined lives and . The list that was made grew as more people accused others for personal revenge. hbspt.cta.load(360031, '4efd5fbd-40d7-4b12-8674-6c4f312edd05', {}); Have any questions about this article or other topics? Download it for free now: hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(360031, '688715d6-bf92-47d7-8526-4c53d1f5fe7d', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); hbspt.cta._relativeUrls=true;hbspt.cta.load(360031, '03a85984-6dfd-4a19-93c8-5f46091f5e2b', {"useNewLoader":"true","region":"na1"}); Samantha is a blog content writer for PrepScholar. Start your 48-hour free trial to get access to more than 30,000 additional guides and more than 350,000 Homework Help questions answered by our experts. Many of the townsfolk, especially John Proctor, dislike him, and Parris is very concerned with building his position in the community. To be fair, Miller had less at stake than many others who were called before HUAC to testify. Which character goes from being "an authority on the supernatural" to "denouncing the court's proceedings"? He was especially fascinated by people who disagreed with the communist "witch hunt" but chose to keep their heads down and go along with it to avoid their own persecution. In what steps of the manufacturing process is mass production used? The Cold War that was occurring between the, Hysteria can only thrive when people benefit from it. An example of data being processed may be a unique identifier stored in a cookie. ~ Gods name in vain. As a socially conscious writer, Miller intended this play as a comment on McCarthyism. Accessed 5 Mar. Her activities are crucial to the development of the drama. 91). There were, of course, communists in the US in the 1950s, but the vast majority of them had no designs on overthrowing the US government or becoming Soviet spies. Scholar, dynamic character, comes to cleanse Salem but realizes there's no witch and is against the hanging or imprisonment of people, his arrival set the hysteria in motion, tries to save John, Martha Corey and Rebecca Nurse. Identify appropriate dress for three special occasions. What does John Proctor mean when he says, "common vengeance writes the law" in The Crucible by Arthur Miller. Elizabeth does not expose Abby and John claims God is dead, An entire work (play, short story, novel) represents something else on a symbolic level -Abigail blames Tituba; Tituba blames the devil, Sarah Good, and Mrs. Osborn; the girls blame many others, Two unlike things that are compared using "like or as" Elizabeth Proctors Pregnancy: Elizabeths execution is stalled on account of her pregnancy. Many people believed anything they heard or saw. He agreed but asked if the committe didnt ask him to name people involved. Explain. He writes, "But by 1950, when I began to think of writing about the hunt for Reds in America, I was motivated in some great part by the paralysis that had set in among many liberals who, despite their discomfort with the inquisitors' violations of civil rights, were fearful, and with good reason, of being identified as covert Communists if they should protest too strongly." Giles Corey's third wife. His concern for the common man and his "indictment" of McCarthy were presented through his play, The Crucible, written in 1952. Abigail represents the government and Joseph McCarthy who initiated the Red Scare because similarly she started the Salem Witch hunt by accusing Tituba and all the other innocent people as witches. Need some quotes to fill out your essay for English class? The Crucible is a 1953 play by Arthur Miller. Senator, made unsubstantiated claims that more than 200 "card carrying" members of the Communist party had infiltrated the United States government. The entire plot of the novel is moulded by the repressive Puritan society. Local farmer who lives just outside town and is a stern, harsh tongued, smart and had an affair with Abigail Williams. The insanity that came about was an indication of the fear of individual freedom (Miller 6). To view the purposes they believe they have legitimate interest for, or to object to this data processing use the vendor list link below. The Crucible By Arthur Miller 1355 Words | 6 Pages. Marauding Native Americans killed Abigail's parents when Abigail was young. So, in "The Crucible" the courts and the judges would represent Senator McCarthy (who led the red scare in the senate) and the others in government who questioned people and blacklisted them from working, just like Danforth and others jailed "witches". A wealthy, influential man in Salem. Specifically, three of the townspeople showed their sins the most; Abigail Williams, John Proctor, and Thomas Putnam. Our new student and parent forum, at ExpertHub.PrepScholar.com, allow you to interact with your peers and the PrepScholar staff. This can be connected to The Crucible because of what the main character, Abigail, does to get what she wants. Miller saw these sorts of irrational thought processes (weeding out officials associated with China in the US government with the goal of diminishing Chinas power overall) as corollaries to the supernatural beliefs of his characters. This cauldron symbolizes the wildness of the girls, or more specifically, their repressed sexual desire bubbling over. Images Arthur Miller and Marilyn Monroe Arthur Miller with Marilyn Monroe (scroll three-quarters down the page). The Crucible: Arthur Miller wrote it. We've written a guide for each test about the top 5 strategies you must be using to have a shot at improving your score. if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'brighthubeducation_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_4',137,'0','0'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-brighthubeducation_com-medrectangle-3-0');if(typeof ez_ad_units!='undefined'){ez_ad_units.push([[320,50],'brighthubeducation_com-medrectangle-3','ezslot_5',137,'0','1'])};__ez_fad_position('div-gpt-ad-brighthubeducation_com-medrectangle-3-0_1');.medrectangle-3-multi-137{border:none!important;display:block!important;float:none!important;line-height:0;margin-bottom:7px!important;margin-left:auto!important;margin-right:auto!important;margin-top:7px!important;max-width:100%!important;min-height:50px;padding:0;text-align:center!important}McCarthyism: Joseph McCarthy, U.S. Feel free to share your own interpretation of The Crucible in the comments section. Miller demonstrates how the Crucible represents an allegory for his conflict with McCarthyism by relating his experiences with the plot of the novel. Accusations came from left and right, much the same as the characters did for "real witches" in The Crucible. -Reverend Hale begs people to lie, The audience knows something the characters do not -- results in suspense The practice of Senator Joseph McCarthy, in which he accused people of disloyalty, persuades the accused to incriminate friends and associates. This was a time of much hypocrisy in the people of the town of Salem. "An everlasting funeral marches round your heart", The opposite of what is expected occurs The Second Red Scare happened between 1947-1954 and Sen. Joseph McCarthy feared that Soviet, Korean and Chinese communist spies occupied the federal government which later turned out to be false. They were trying to conjure the devil and also they were breaking the rules of the town (rebels). Miller also felt that many of the accusations of communism were motivated by politics, fear, and personal vendettas that were given a "just" playing ground. Abigail manipulates Mary into accusing John of witchcraft. Describe the political climate of the 1950s. At first glance Senator McCarthy and Abigail Williams, the antagonists during McCarthyism and throughout The Crucible respectfully, seem very different, however, their actions and mannerisms are mirrored in many aspects. In the area (country), a fear was released to the public. "Oh Abigail, what proper payment for my charity". Salem was a Puritan society at the time, which meant that there was a strict moral code that encompassed Puritan lifestyle. Many believe The Crucible's high profile as a criticism of McCarthyism partially led to Millers own investigation by HUAC.