Amelia Emery has taught high school English Language Arts for 9 years and University level writing courses for 3 years. An allegory is an extended metaphor in which the characters or objects in the story represent an outside meaning. The Red Scare caused people to suspect their neighbors and friends and report them as communist sympathizers. This also occurred during 1692 and 1693, the years of the witch trials. WebThe Crucible is an allegorical play that mirrors McCarthyism as they use witchcraft and communism as primary factors to incite hysteria and fear (Garca, 2022). [See this link for an example of an extended metaphor in the epitaph Ben Franklin originally wanted on his gravestone. During the McCarthy era people accused would start accusing other people in order to get the attention off of them, because the only way to prove you are not a communist was to name a communist. You are now seven month out of their house, and in all this time no other family has ever called for your service. (Reverend Parris Act1 P.20) The conflict between her and Elizabeth destroyed her reputation as a house maid. Arthur Miller was a playwright and a political activist speaking up addressing societal issues. Be careful, this sample is accessible to everyone. The hysteria induced by the thought that witches were in Salem spread throughout the community like a disease. One example of Abigail's villainy is the scene where her cousin, Betty Parris yells about Abigail having drank blood in the forest. In 1692, a fear of witchcraft led to the accusation of over 200 townspeople. Were they born this morning as clean as Gods fingers? Examine The Crucible as an allegory. So for a brief explanation, McCarthyism was carried out under senator Joseph McCarthy during 1950-1954 against alleged communist in the US government and in other institutions. Arthur Miller develops an allegory in The Crucible by comparing the Salem Witch Trials to McCarthyism by using ringleaders, persecuted couples, and hypocrisy in the government or legal system., There are still difficulties found when interpreting The Crucible as a strict allegorical representation of the 1950s McCarthyism. Most readers are unfamiliar with McCarthyism. An allegory is a story with an obvious meaning but if you look deeper into it, there is another meaning. Slideshow 3196964 by amber Reputation is the opinion applied to oneself through deeds and acts, the way oneself is, and the way people speak upon one. A brief intro to The Crucible by Arthur Miller. It compares his life to a book: http://www.ushistory.org/franklin/philadelphia/grave.htm], Arthur Miller's inspiration for this play came in the guise of the McCarthy hearings in the 1950s. This was not a war fought on a battlefield, but rather one fought politically and economically. Miller, creator of The Crucible was blacklisted, and accused of being a communist along with many other entertainers (Arthur Miller). Some reputations were never repaired. An entire adult, religious community was brought to its knees by the lies and play-acting practiced by these girls as they accused one innocent adult after another of bewitching them. Miller published this play in 1953, after feeling the effects of McCarthyism during the 1950s and the Great Depression of the 1930s. Crucible Literary Essay Both The Crucible and the McCarthy trials have many parallels. On its surface, The Crucible is a play about the Salem witch trials of 1692. He uses the scenes and characters to represent the real-life occurrences. Latest answer posted December 16, 2019 at 7:31:02 AM. For example, he secretly compares Abigail and Senator McCarthy together, McCarthy took advantage of the Red Scare to make people believe that people were communists and how Abigail took advantage of the beliefs of witchcraft to accuse people during the Salem Witch Trials. WebThe Crucible As An Allegory Analysis. In an allegory the character,events, and instances(Definition of Allegory R104). Both McCarthyism and The Crucible are connected because paranoia is evident and innocent people are accused. Miller wrote The Crucible in 1953, when Senator Joseph McCarthy accused dozens of people who worked for the US government of being communist infiltrators, without any evidence. Due to his refusal to answer, the committee charged him with contempt of Congress and sentenced him to a $500 fine or a 30-day stint in jail. Decent people like Goody Nurse and Giles Corey were destroyed by the paranoia of the Puritan religious culture that saw the Devil at every turn. Let us know your assignment type and we'll make sure to get you exactly the kind of answer you need. 45) This quote shows how Abigail took advantage of the position she was placed in and used hysteria to fuel suspicions. What was Arthur Miller's purpose in writing The Crucible? The Crucible is a very significant piece of literature from which many things can be learned. Hysteria is another critical component that causes major complications. I think that imagery can be a huge factor in the way things may be viewed, and in the way feelings may be expressed. The government of the time served as McCarthy 's puppet, doing whatever he told them and arresting anyone he told them to. Trusted by over 1 million students worldwide. The Red Scare quickly spread across the States as American people feared that communism would take over their country one day. The Crucible is a story set in Salem in the 1692 witch hunts. A type of government based on religious believes. Miller wrote his drama during the brief reign of the American senator Joseph McCarthy whose bitter criticized anti- communism sparkled the need for the United States to be a dramatic anti- communist society during the early tense years of the cold war. A Major Role in the Crucible John Proctor, John Proctors Pride in the Play the Crucible, The Crucible as an Allegory to McCarthyism, The Crucible as an Allegory of the Witch Trial, Differences between the Crucible Movie and the Play, The Crucible by Arthur Miller: how Abigail Williams Abused her Power, One of the Main Characters in the Play The Crucible. Proctor tries to save his wife by telling the truth, but he is accused by his wife when his wife lies in order to keep his reputation good, Proctor: God help me, I lustedbut it is a whores vengeance. Elizabeth is asked if John Proctor committed lechery, No, sir. (Act 3, pg 105) These quotes highlight how although both Proctor and Miller told the truths in each of their personal cases, they were still accused and tried. What Miller is This social injustice is also portrayed in The Crucible as its characters face the Salem Witch Trials. WebIs a speech made by the preacher to his people usually about God Fire and brimstone Idiomatic expression for God's wrath Figurative and literal language Concrete and abstract ways of writing Puritanism Reformed Protestants Great Awakening A period where religion was increased and spread Betty Parris Rev. People who were accused of being communist or communist sympathizers were told that they had to name other people who supported the communist movement. I feel like its a lifeline. The Crucible by Arthur Miller is based on the true events of the Salem witch trials. Web400 Words2 Pages. Many people lost their jobs, were taken in by law enforcement, and their lives were turned upside down. The play is based on the fear, suspicion, hysteria and paranoia which the people of Salem felt during the witch hunts. A fire, a fire is burning! Hire a verified expert to write you a 100% Plagiarism-Free paper. The Crucible as Allegory. They are accused of witchcraft, but they claim, She was also in the woods, casting spells that Abigail wanted, when she is accused of calling the devil, she claims the devil came to her and forced her to sign his book with 4 other names. In this very public moment, Abigail condemns Elizabeth simply by touching her. The Crucible by Arthur Miller is based on the true events of the Salem witch trials. The Crucible reveals the similarities between The Salem Witch Trials of the 1690s and McCarthyism of the 1950s because it demonstrates how a society can be tremendously impacted by the feeling the fear. The book Crucible is an allegory. As mentioned in the Background page of the test, since, Judge Danforths aforementioned quote on page 1324 shows his concern for himself and his reputation rather than the lives of the multitude of innocent Salem civilians whose lives depend on his verdict. In the play, The Crucible, written by Arthur Miller, Miller uses allegory to recreate the events occurring in real life. Russias gain of power throughout Eurasia showed off the USSRs strength and abilities, threatening the Western Powers. Our summaries and analyses are written by experts, and your questions are answered by real teachers. The Crucible Study Guide 2022-10-26. WebThe Crucible is an allegory for what happened during the "red scare" in American in the 1950's. Clearly, Senator McCarthys greed for political power led to American citizens unrest. McCarthyism in the 1950s was a panic-driven search for communists and communist sympathizers in America. There was deceit, pain, greed, and more. In Arthur Millers The Crucible, women are somewhat able to successfully gain power from society due to the fact that they use manipulation, deceit and their sexual desire (especially the character of Abigail) to acquire positions of power in their largely patriarchal society. Arthur Miller: Plays & Biography | Who is Arthur Miller? Through the play, we follow the character, Abigail, observe her actions and their consequences. A quote by Edward R. Murrow states, No one man can terrorize a whole nation unless we are all his accomplices. During the Red Scare, Senator McCarthy did terrorize a whole nation, and Arthur Miller became a victim of McCarthyism. McCarthyism is the accusing of people without proper evidence. I would definitely recommend Study.com to my colleagues. He created The Crucible as an allegory for McCarthyism and unfounded accusations of communist loyalties. In an allegory the character,events, and instances (Definition of Allegory R104). 73) This quote elaborates on why the accusers were not suspected, Reverend Parris has a reputation of being a holy man of the church which makes him improbable to witchcraft and Abigail who has kept her reputation clean amidst of all the misdeeds she has done. In the 1940s and 1950s, many people in the United States were living in fear of communism; similar to those who feared witches in Salem. An allegory refers to the story that possesses an obvious meaning but with other hidden connotations. More and more young women began to accuse townspeople of having dealings with the Devil and practicing witchcraft. One of the plays main antagonists, Deputy Governor Danforth, oversees the witch trials and refuses to end them until everyone who he believes is guilty is punished. Most readers are unfamiliar with McCarthyism. During the closing scene and its final lines the tone might be described as suspenseful and melancholy, while Millers purpose relays the events in Salem to the accusations of Communists in 1950s America. As people in Salem were accused of witchcraft and brought before the tribunal, they were asked to confess their guilt and name the other people in town who also participated with them in dark rituals. Those people who were accused of witchcraft or communism were promised that they would be treated mercifully if they revealed others who were guilty. I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! The times back then were terrible. In both The Crucible and the Red Scare, false allegations increased fear and led to the detainment of many people on unsubstantiated evidence. This connects to McCarthyism because once someone was accused of being a communist their life was destroyed, loss of job and bad image. An allegory is a story with two levels of meaning- literal and symbolic. It is an allegory since it represents the human ideas about there being seven deadly sins and how in politics, people choose the good for one over the good for the group. These fears came together under the umbrella of the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) which had been formed in 1938 to investigate potential communist activity inside the American government. Miller wrote The Crucible as a symbolized declaration of his feelings during the period of McCarthyism. Arthur Millers The Crucible, a piece on the Salem Witch Trials of Weba crucible is. Intolerance is closely tied to communism and witchcraft, leading to the arrest and sentencing of innocent people. It also gave many an excuse to act on personal grudges bore with one another., In literature alone, there are many stories that have been categorized as allegories due to messages or lessons that are implied in the writing. For example, the use of pace throughout the, The Crucible was about the Salem Witch Trials which took place in 1692-1693 and the Red Scare happened in the late 1940s and early 1950s. 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. The allegorical meaning of the Crucible is that it can be a representation of the Red Scare, the HUAC, and McCarthyism., History is a "chronological record of events." The symbolism used Miller's Crucible was written in the early 1950s. The Crucible describes the Salem Witch Trials. In act 3 of The Crucible, why does Reverend Hale change his story about witchcraft? In the early 1950s, many Americans were afraid that communists might infiltrate Characters like John Proctor, Abigail William and Hathorne represent Arthur Miller, Joseph McCarthy, and J.Edgar Hoover. The connection between The Crucible and the McCarthy Hearings is not an isolated one, but can also be made with other historical and current events that are happening today., The Crucible is a play that advocates change in social or political attitudes or in traditions. Miller, within The Crucible, uses symbolism creates an effective allegory that shows the connection that it has to McCarthyism. His investigation, which came to be known as McCarthyism, whipped people into a frenzy, lobbing accusations at anyone who disagreed with his conservative viewpoints. One of his most well-known works being The Crucible, addressed McCarthyism and its absurd purpose. Allegories In Arthur Miller's The Crucible, In Arthur Miller 's play The Crucible, false accusations and fear are used to imprison and kill many people accused of being witches. [Source:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/McCarthyism]. He testified that he had signed pro-communist documents and attended four or five meetings for Communist Party Writers. I saw Goody Osburn with the Devil! The Crucible is an allegory for McCarthyism, a period of time where officials were being accused of being a part of the communist party. In salem the accused were communist and the accusers are McCarthyists. When people are placed under an intense feeling of fear, they begin to commit actions they never thought they were capable over. McCarthy, Arthur Miller felt it necessary to express his political feelings through an authors medium. And it is my face, and yours, Danforth! With its ability to relate to a number of political situations in many countries, even as far as 50 years past its creation, In this classroom you can see a teacher getting her roomed searched by state and local anti-subversive and they are seen searching the room, looking in trash cans, looking at the classrooms maps of russia and even looking at the picture of the us presents. Miller's version of the Salem witch trials is not a strictly accurate accounting of the historical record. I dare not step outside at night! This quote shows that Parris is not concerned with the hanging of the accused individuals who are not as respected, nor is he concerned with his supposed mission to banish all evil from Salem. In Arthur Millers The Crucible, John Proctor dealt with the corruption of power in his town when Abigail Williams and many other girls accused those, who were innocent, of witchcraft. He was also asked to provide the names of other people he knew who had communist leanings, but he refused, citing his First Amendment rights. The period during the Cold War had a deeper meaning than just the rivalry between the two superpowers, the Soviet Union and America. WebThe Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller in 1952. You can order an original essay written according to your instructions. We also saw this type of chaos during the Salem witch trials of 1693. While most people use the book to study the Witch Trials, with closer examination it is easy to conclude that it is a direct allegory to the Red Scare and the McCarthy era of 1950s America. In his play The Crucible, he uses allegory to demonstrate the dangerous messages that he wanted the reader to be aware of. For a time, he and his House Committee on Un-American Activitieswielded the power to lift up or destroy names, reputations and careers by slinging innuendo and half-truths in the name of national security, a threat McCarthy felt came from the U.S. Communist party (a recognized political group) and its members, et al. Miller intended The Crucible as an allegory to McCarthyism. In Arthur Miller 's play The Crucible, false accusations and fear are used to imprison and kill many people accused of being witches. He witnessed a trusted figure to lay accusations on people. There are many proven facts that some of the story is not true to the real life events and this confuses many people because Arthur Miller makes his characters so vivid and actually used the real names of the people that were in the trials(Salem Witch Museum). Log in or sign up to add this lesson to a Custom Course. Parris' ten year old daughter. Convict communists were ordered to confess their crime and name others to avoid the retribution. In the play The Crucible, Miller has used allegory to convey the themes of injustice, hysteria, and honor/reputation. Whether its be the treatment of a person or being put in a biased situation, injustice causes people to not be regarded in a respectful, equal manner. Although, many people that were condemned werent actually apart of the Communist Party, (under McCarthyism around 1950-1954) they got blacklisted or lost their jobs. Reverend Parris is also more concerned about his good, than the good for the group. WebArthur Millers The Crucible The Crucible is an allegory of McCarthyism when people accused of communism were arrested and incarcerated in the United States during the In the 1953, Arthur Miller came out with a play: The Crucible based on the Salem Witch Trials tackling McCarthyism; accusing others of being communists trying to overthrow democracy in the United States (9-10). Additional inquiries must be listed separately as individual postings. From the start perusing, one may just view Millers work as a distinctive record of the awfulness of Specify your topic, deadline, number of pages and other requirements. The Crucible, a play written by Arthur Miller in 1953, is a dramatized and partially fictionalized story of the Salem witch eNotes Editorial, 29 Nov. 2010, https://www.enotes.com/homework-help/what-is-the-crucible-by-arthur-miller-an-allegory-223667. WebThe Crucible by Arthur Miller is allegorical. First, an allegory is a narrative that works as an long metaphor. On the surface, The Crucible is an allegory ,or extended metaphor, using the story of the Salem witch trials to critique Joseph McCarthy and the Red Scare. An allegory is a story with two levels of meaning- literal and symbolic. He took some creative license with the storytelling to make a stronger impact on the audience. WebThe Crucible is an historical allegory for the McCarthy period; it can be examined more fruitfully as a play about the human condition. In response to the second Red Scare, prompted by the accusations of Senator Joe Government officials, actors, professors, scientists, and authors all came under the scrutiny of his "witch hunt" for communist spies in America. These events, whether positive or tragic, often repeat themselves. People from all walks of life were accused of communist leanings: government workers, teachers, actors, and writers. Became a victim of McCarthyism that possesses an obvious meaning but if you deeper... Meaning- literal and symbolic as American people feared that communism would take over country! By touching her fear and led to American citizens unrest accused of being.... 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