the crucible allegory essay

The Crucible (Allegory Explained)

The Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller and first performed in 1953. The play is set in the Puritan town of Salem, Massachusetts, during the Salem witch trials of 1692, but it is widely recognized as an allegory for the Red Scare and McCarthyism of the 1950s. The play explores themes of mass hysteria, persecution, and the dangers of groupthink.

Miller wrote The Crucible during a time of great political tension in the United States. The country was gripped by the fear of communism, and many people were accused of being communist sympathizers without any evidence to support the accusations. The play uses the witch trials as a metaphor for the McCarthy hearings, with characters in the play being accused of witchcraft just as people in real life were being accused of being communists. The play’s message is clear: when fear and paranoia take hold, innocent people can be persecuted and punished.

Historical Context of ‘The Crucible’

McCarthyism and the Red Scare

During the 1950s, the United States was gripped by a wave of fear and paranoia known as McCarthyism. This was a time when accusations of Communist sympathies could ruin a person’s career and reputation. Senator Joseph McCarthy led a campaign to root out supposed Communist sympathizers in the government, entertainment industry, and other areas of American life. This atmosphere of suspicion and fear is reflected in Arthur Miller’s play, “ The Crucible ,” which was written during this period.

Miller wrote “The Crucible” as an allegory for the Red Scare and McCarthyism. The play depicts a small town in Massachusetts in 1692, where a group of young girls accuse their neighbors of witchcraft. The accusations spread like wildfire, and soon the entire town is caught up in a frenzy of fear and suspicion. The play shows how easily people can be manipulated by fear and how dangerous it is to allow accusations to go unchecked.

Salem Witch Trials

“The Crucible” is also set against the backdrop of the Salem Witch Trials, which took place in Massachusetts in 1692. These trials were a series of hearings and prosecutions of people accused of witchcraft. The trials resulted in the execution of 20 people, most of them women. The trials were fueled by superstition, fear, and religious extremism, and they have since become a symbol of the dangers of hysteria and intolerance.

Miller used the Salem Witch Trials as a historical parallel to the Red Scare. He saw both events as examples of how fear and paranoia can lead to the persecution of innocent people. “The Crucible” is a powerful reminder of the dangers of intolerance and the importance of standing up for what is right, even in the face of overwhelming opposition.

Main Themes in “The Crucible”

“The Crucible” by Arthur Miller is a play that explores several themes that are still relevant today. The play is set in Salem, Massachusetts, in the late 1600s, during the infamous Salem Witch Trials. The themes in the play are Hysteria and Ideology, Accusation and Integrity, and Power and Manipulation.

Hysteria and Ideology

One of the main themes in “The Crucible” is Hysteria and Ideology. The play explores how hysteria and ideology can cause people to act irrationally and make false accusations. In the play, the villagers of Salem become hysterical and believe that witches are among them. They accuse innocent people of witchcraft without any evidence, leading to the deaths of many innocent people.

Accusation and Integrity

Another important theme in “The Crucible” is Accusation and Integrity. The play explores how accusations can destroy a person’s reputation and integrity. In the play, John Proctor is accused of witchcraft by Abigail Williams, a young girl who he had an affair with. Proctor tries to clear his name by admitting to the affair, but this only makes things worse for him. The play shows how accusations can lead to the destruction of a person’s life, even if they are innocent.

Power and Manipulation

The third theme in “The Crucible” is Power and Manipulation. The play explores how people in positions of power can manipulate others for their own gain. In the play, Abigail Williams manipulates the other girls in Salem to accuse innocent people of witchcraft. She does this to gain power and control over the town. The play shows how people can abuse their power and manipulate others to achieve their own goals.

In conclusion, “The Crucible” is a play that explores several important themes. The themes of Hysteria and Ideology, Accusation and Integrity, and Power and Manipulation are still relevant today. The play shows how these themes can lead to the destruction of innocent lives and how people can abuse their power and manipulate others for their own gain.

Character Analysis and Allegory

John Proctor as a Tragic Hero

John Proctor, the protagonist of “The Crucible,” is a tragic hero who struggles with his conscience throughout the play. He is a man of integrity who has committed adultery with Abigail Williams, one of the accusers. He is a symbol of the common man who is caught up in the hysteria of the witch trials. His tragic flaw is his pride, which prevents him from confessing to his adultery and saving his life. He chooses to die instead of compromising his principles, which is the ultimate act of heroism.

Abigail Williams’ Representation of False Accusation

Abigail Williams, one of the main accusers in “The Crucible,” is a symbol of false accusation. She is a manipulative and vindictive character who accuses innocent people of witchcraft to cover up her own wrongdoing. She is a master of deception who uses her power to control and manipulate others. Her accusations spark the witch trials, which result in the deaths of many innocent people. She is a warning against the dangers of hysteria and the consequences of false accusation.

Reverend Hale’s Transformation

Reverend Hale, a respected minister from Beverly, is initially a staunch supporter of the witch trials. He is an expert on witchcraft and is called to Salem to help with the investigations. However, as the play progresses, he begins to question the validity of the accusations. He realizes that innocent people are being accused and executed based on false evidence. He undergoes a transformation from a believer to a skeptic and finally to a critic of the trials. He is a symbol of the power of reason and the importance of questioning authority.

In conclusion, the characters in “The Crucible” are not just individuals but symbols of larger ideas. They represent the dangers of pride, false accusation, and blind faith. The allegory of the play is a warning against the dangers of hysteria and the importance of maintaining one’s integrity in the face of adversity.

Symbolism in “The Crucible”

The Witch Trials as an Allegory of McCarthyism

“The Crucible” by Arthur Miller is a play that uses the Salem witch trials of 1692 as an allegory for the McCarthyism of the 1950s. In the play, Miller explores how fear, suspicion, and hysteria can lead to false accusations, persecution, and even death. The witch trials in the play represent the anti-communist hysteria of McCarthyism, which was characterized by the fear of communism, the persecution of suspected communists, and the blacklisting of artists, writers, and intellectuals.

Miller uses several symbols in the play to represent the fear and paranoia of McCarthyism. For example, the witch hunt in the play represents the search for suspected communists during the Red Scare. The accusations of witchcraft in the play represent the accusations of communism during the hearings of the House Un-American Activities Committee. The trials and executions of innocent people in the play represent the persecution of innocent people during the Red Scare.

The Crucible as a Symbol of Judgment

Another important symbol in “The Crucible” is the crucible itself. The crucible is a container used for melting metals and purifying them. In the play, the crucible represents the process of judgment and purification. The characters in the play are put through a crucible of sorts as they are forced to confront their fears, their prejudices, and their moral values.

The crucible also represents the idea of transformation. The characters in the play are transformed by their experiences in the crucible. Some characters, like John Proctor and Elizabeth Proctor, are transformed for the better as they confront their past mistakes and find redemption. Other characters, like Abigail Williams and Reverend Parris, are transformed for the worse as they succumb to their fears and their desires for power.

In conclusion, “The Crucible” is a powerful allegory that uses the symbols of the witch trials and the crucible to explore the themes of fear, suspicion, and judgment. Miller’s play reminds us of the dangers of hysteria and the importance of standing up for our beliefs, even in the face of persecution and death.

Modern Relevance of ‘The Crucible’

Allegory for contemporary political situations.

Arthur Miller’s ‘The Crucible’ is a powerful allegory that resonates even in contemporary political situations. The play’s central theme of mass hysteria and the dangers of false accusations is particularly relevant in today’s world of social media and cancel culture. The play highlights the importance of critical thinking and the need to question authority, especially in situations where fear and panic are used to manipulate public opinion.

‘The Crucible’ also serves as a cautionary tale against the abuse of power by those in authority. The play shows how the Salem witch trials were used to settle personal scores and eliminate political opponents. This is a lesson that is still relevant today, as we see politicians and leaders using similar tactics to silence dissent and consolidate their power.

Lessons on Mass Hysteria

Another important lesson that ‘The Crucible’ teaches us is the dangers of mass hysteria. The play shows how fear and paranoia can spread like wildfire, leading to irrational behavior and the persecution of innocent people. This is a lesson that is particularly relevant in today’s world, where social media and other forms of mass communication can quickly amplify fear and panic.

‘The Crucible’ also highlights the importance of standing up for what is right, even in the face of overwhelming opposition. The play’s protagonist, John Proctor, is a flawed but ultimately heroic figure who refuses to compromise his principles, even when it means risking his own life. This is a message that is still relevant today, as we see individuals and groups standing up against injustice and oppression, even when it means going against the prevailing social norms.

In conclusion, ‘The Crucible’ is a timeless work of literature that continues to resonate with audiences today. Its themes of mass hysteria, false accusations, and abuse of power are still relevant in contemporary political situations, and its lessons on critical thinking, standing up for what is right, and the dangers of fear and panic are more important than ever.

Critical Reception and Interpretations

Initial critical response.

When Arthur Miller’s play “The Crucible” was first performed in 1953, it received mixed reviews from critics. Some praised the play’s powerful message about the dangers of mass hysteria and the importance of standing up for one’s beliefs, while others criticized Miller’s use of historical events to comment on contemporary issues.

Despite the mixed reviews, “The Crucible” quickly became a popular and influential work of American theater. It was performed on Broadway for over 600 performances and has since been produced countless times in theaters around the world.

Evolving Interpretations of the Play

Over the years, the critical reception of “The Crucible” has evolved as scholars and audiences have reexamined the play’s themes and historical context. One of the most significant interpretations of the play is its allegorical connection to the Red Scare and McCarthyism of the 1950s.

Many scholars have argued that Miller’s portrayal of the Salem witch trials was actually a commentary on the anti-communist hysteria that was sweeping the United States at the time. Miller himself was called before the House Un-American Activities Committee and was accused of being a communist sympathizer, which may have influenced his writing of “The Crucible.”

Despite the play’s historical context, its themes of mass hysteria, fear, and the importance of standing up for one’s beliefs continue to resonate with audiences today. “The Crucible” remains a powerful work of American theater and a testament to the enduring power of drama to comment on the human condition.

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Book Guides

In studying The Crucible , you will inevitably be faced with questions about the play's connections to the "Red Scare" of the 1950s and the phenomenon known as McCarthyism. These connections are important because they demonstrate that The Crucible is not merely a (highly adapted) retelling of historical events but also an allegorical reference to the timelessness of certain central human flaws.

In this article, I'll provide historical background on McCarthyism, tell you about Arthur Miller's personal involvement with the investigations of alleged communists in the 1950s, and explain how and why interpretations of The Crucible are so closely tied to the political attitudes and events of that decade.

Background on McCarthyism

Let’s start off with some background on who Joseph McCarthy was and what role he played in American politics. McCarthy was a Republican from Wisconsin who rose through the political ranks in the 1940s and was elected to the Senate in 1946. When it looked like he might not be reelected in 1950 after a few unremarkable years of service, he decided to try a new political strategy: targeting communist subversives.

To see why this was even an option, you have to understand the political climate at the time. The 1950s marked the beginning of the Cold War, an era of great tension between the US and the communist USSR. Conservatives in the US feared that anyone who had any affiliation with the Communist Party was a potential threat to national security because they couldn’t be trusted to remain loyal to the US. McCarthy was able to use this fear to his advantage.

On February 9, 1950, he claimed to possess a list of the names of 205 people in the US State Department who were members of the American Communist Party. The public, in the throes of a communist hysteria, demanded an investigation of these supposed agitators within the government. Though many of the people on McCarthy’s list were not, in fact, communists, he still managed to become the chairman of an organization called the Government Committee on Operations of the Senate, which proceeded to investigate "dissenters." These investigations went on for two years, during which the questioning spread to numerous government departments, and there was a continued proliferation of communist panic. This persecution of alleged subversives became known colloquially as "McCarthyism."

McCarthy finally lost power in 1954 soon after proposing an investigation of the military to root out communists. President Eisenhower, who never liked McCarthy and had great respect for the military as a former commander, decided things had finally gone too far. He worked behind the scenes to discredit McCarthy. The Army sent inside information about McCarthy’s abuses of power to his critics, and a storm of bad PR finally led to the loss of his position as chairman of the investigatory committee. He died soon after in 1957, four years after the opening of The Crucible .

Though the modern-day witch hunt philosophy carries his namesake, Joseph McCarthy was far from the only driving force behind the investigation of suspected communists during the Cold War. Another congressional group called the House UnAmerican Activities Committee played a similar and, some would argue, even more dramatic role at the same time. HUAC was a congressional committee originally established in 1938 with the primary goal of investigating communist and fascist organizations that had become active during the Great Depression.

After World War II, as Cold War tensions mounted, HUAC became even more intent on investigating communist activities. HUAC gained significant power in tandem with McCarthy; in fact, HUAC provided inspiration for many of McCarthy’s tactics. Members of the committee were convinced that disloyal communists had managed to infiltrate the US government, educational system, and entertainment industry. Anyone deemed suspicious was issued a subpoena by the committee and subsequently questioned about their political activities and the activities of other potential subversives. People who refused to answer these questions or name any names were arrested for contempt of Congress and even sent to jail. Many were subsequently denied employment opportunities in their industries because they were universally "blacklisted" or shut out by employers who feared that hiring them would be a public relations nightmare.

Arthur Miller’s Connections to McCarthyism

Arthur Miller had great distaste for McCarthy’s investigations in the early 1950s, and he claims to have written The Crucible in 1953 largely as a reaction to this tense political climate. He had become fascinated with the environment of paranoia and how it affected society as a whole. When he stumbled upon the story of the Salem witch trials, he finally came up with a way to express those themes on stage. The Crucible was also a reaction his personal disappointment at the decision of his friend, director Elia Kazan, to name some former colleagues as communists in 1952 in front of the House UnAmerican Activities Committee. Many believe The Crucible's high profile as a criticism of McCarthyism partially led to Miller’s own investigation by HUAC.

In 1956, Miller was subpoenaed by HUAC after attempting to renew his passport before traveling to Belgium for the opening of The Crucible. He was suspected (not incorrectly) of possessing close ties to the American Communist Party. Miller did in fact write communist theater criticism and was a greater private supporter of communism than he portrayed himself to be at the time, but he never actually joined the party. When he appeared before HUAC, Miller refused to name anyone else who was involved in "subversive" political activities. To be fair, Miller had less at stake than many others who were called before HUAC to testify. Because he worked mainly in theater, he didn't have to worry as much about the effects Hollywood's unforgiving blacklist policy would have on his career. Miller was found in contempt of Congress for refusing to betray his peers, but the ruling was overturned two years later as HUAC lost power and relevance.

The Crucible as an Allegory for McCarthyism

It’s not difficult to see the parallels between McCarthyism and The Crucible 's plot. The abandonment of reason in the face of hysteria is a clear common theme. Arthur Miller wrote an essay in 1996 entitled "Why I Wrote The Crucible: An Author’s Answer to Politics" that provides insight into his view of the play’s connections to the communist panic.

Early in the essay, he relates the US State Department’s fear of China after the communist takeover to the fear of black magic in The Crucible . Miller writes, "There was magic all around; the politics of alien conspiracy soon dominated political discourse and bid fair to wipe out any other issue." Miller saw these sorts of irrational thought processes (weeding out officials associated with China in the US government with the goal of diminishing China’s power overall) as corollaries to the supernatural beliefs of his characters.

As communist hysteria built, Miller was even more convinced that he wanted to write a play based on this form of collective insanity. 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. 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." This sort of behavior is one of the biggest contributors to the panic that grows throughout The Crucible . For example, John Proctor hesitates to expose Abigail as a fraud because he fears repercussions from the court, and Parris is eager to turn on others to preserve his reputation.

In another relevant quote, Miller writes, "The Soviet plot was the hub of a great wheel of causation ; the plot justified the crushing of all nuance, all the shadings that a realistic judgment of reality requires." In The Crucible , Miller translates this concept into the Satanic plot that the officials believe is at work in Salem. Danforth claims that there is "a moving plot to topple Christ in the country!" (pg. 91). Danforth also insists that "a person is either with this court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between" (pg. 87). Nuance cannot be tolerated because the people in charge feel that the stakes are too high. Communist infiltration of the US government and the Devil’s infiltration of Salem are both disastrous scenarios that must be prevented at all costs, even if it means throwing innocent people under the bus.

Some people (including his former friend Elia Kazan) predictably complained that Miller’s analogy between the Salem witch trials and McCarthyism was bogus. After all, communists are real, and witches aren’t. Miller, however, says he viewed the analogy as perfectly sound. He argues that, in the 17th century, "the existence of witches was never questioned by the loftiest minds in Europe and America" because the Bible spoke of their existence. Witches were just as real to people in the 1690s as communists were to people in the 1950s.

He adds, "The more I read into the Salem panic, the more it touched off corresponding ages of common experiences in the fifties : the old friend of a blacklisted person crossing the street to avoid being seen talking to him; the overnight conversions of former leftists into born-again patriots; and so on. Apparently, certain processes are universal." Miller was fascinated by what happened in Salem because of the parallels he could draw to the events of his life amidst the Red Scare. The Crucible has resonated across time because it expresses central truths about human nature. People will go to great lengths to avoid being ostracized by society, including, in many cases, betraying their true beliefs and selling out their friends.

Why Does the Relationship Between McCarthyism and The Crucible Matter?

Miller closes his essay by saying, "I am not sure what The Crucible is telling people now, but I know that its paranoid center is still pumping out the same darkly attractive warning that it did in the fifties." Though we like to think of ourselves more enlightened than the people who conducted the Salem witch trials, virtually the same course of events has occurred many times in more recent history. The fear of witches only seems archaic because most of society no longer holds serious beliefs in the supernatural. Today, scenarios like this can be even more insidious because "witch hunts" are conducted for types of people that really do exist. 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. The danger lies in assuming that purely because someone holds a political or religious belief, he or she must pose a threat.

People who are viewed as "other" continue to be persecuted out of fear and ignorance. The Crucible and McCarthyism can be compared to other modern forms of rumor, persecution, suspicion, and hysteria such as:

• The AIDS scare in the 80’s and 90’s
• Fear of terrorism in the past 15 or 20 years and how that’s affected US views and policies
• The Obama "birther" movement
• The many rumors perpetuated by gullible people on social media

Afterword: Discussion Questions

Now that you've read the article, you can try your hand at answering some of these discussion questions. I've included a few different types of questions on this topic that you might encounter in your English class:

• Discuss how Miller’s point of view influences the reading of the play. How did his own experiences shape his writing?
• Where does "fear" come from? Why, as a nation, do we fear others? Why, as individuals, do we fear others?
• Describe the political climate of the 1950s. Why did Senator McCarthy become a powerful figure? How did he influence politics in the fifties?
• As a socially conscious writer, Miller intended this play as a comment on McCarthyism. What are the parallels between the incidents Miller dramatizes and the acts of Senator McCarthy in the 1950s?
• Compare the events of the play to other historical or current events where innocent people are used as scapegoats. Is this a timeless cautionary tale?

What's Next?

Check out our full book summary of The Crucible so you can see for yourself how the play fits into its historical context.

Need some quotes to fill out your essay for English class? Read this article for a list of all the most important quotes in the play , categorized by theme.

To fully understand the messages of The Crucible , you need to get to know the main characters. We've written detailed character analyses for Abigail Williams , Rebecca Nurse , Mary Warren, John Proctor, and Giles Corey.

Interested in what witchcraft and magic in America looked like in the years leading up to the publication of The Crucible ? Learn who Aleister Crowley was and what influence he had on counter-culture with this article .

Want to improve your SAT score by 160 points or your ACT score by 4 points? 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. Download it for free now:

Samantha is a blog content writer for PrepScholar. Her goal is to help students adopt a less stressful view of standardized testing and other academic challenges through her articles. Samantha is also passionate about art and graduated with honors from Dartmouth College as a Studio Art major in 2014. In high school, she earned a 2400 on the SAT, 5's on all seven of her AP tests, and was named a National Merit Scholar.

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The Crucible

By arthur miller, the crucible essay questions.

The Crucible is famous as a political allegory, but what exactly is Miller trying to say? Who do you think is being most criticized in the contemporary analogy?

Miller was particularly offended by those who "named names" before HUAC, and he himself refused to do so. While the Crucible indeed villainized the prosecutors and Court – those in the parallel positions of Joe McCarthy and HUAC – the play martyrs Corey and Proctor for refusing to do so. At the expense of their own lives, Corey and Proctor refused to condemn others, and in Miller's eyes this is the only truly moral decision.

The Crucible features a significant reversal of social roles in the Salem community. Choose a character whose position of power is upended and analyze the development of their role in the town and in the narrative. Can you make any observations about gender in this process?

The witch trials greatly increased the power and agency of otherwise lowly women like Tituba and Abigail, while bringing down more respected community members like Rebecca Nurse and Elizabeth. The position of men remained more stable – they were always in charge, and even if some of them were executed for witchcraft they would always control the positions of highest authority.

What is the role of gossip in the trials? How does Miller use gossip to implicate the whole town in the events of the witch trials?

Clearly the trials are begun by the wagging of tongues after the girls are found in the woods, but gossip certainly has a more enduring role. Reputations in Salem are made or broken based on slander and rumor, and reputation was a man's only defense against accusation – and even that often failed to correct aspersions. But gossip also proves to be a destructive force even in the hands of the good and unwitting, taking on a life of its own – Giles Corey, for instance, condemns his own wife simply by a slip of the tongue.

Miller makes some significant changes to the historical events for the play – most noticeably, he raises Abigail's age from 11 to 19, and invents an affair between her and Proctor. What purpose does this serve?

The affair is a dramatic device. It provides motive for Abigail's accusation of Elizabeth, and complicates the relationship between the Proctors. By raising Abigail's age and giving her motives of revenge, Miller can complicate the characterization of what would otherwise be a tale-telling little girl, without compromising her villainy.

Clearly, Proctor is the protagonist of the play, dominating three of the four acts. What begins as an ensemble rendering of the town's drama ends in an examination of a decision by one man, the focus gradually narrowed over the course of the play. How does Miller make this 17th century farmer into a character capable of holding our interest and sympathies for two hours?

Proctor is developed as a "modern" figure in the play. He is resistant to authority, rebelling against both the church and the state. He sees through humbug and shouts it down. Moreover, he has a complicated relationship with his wife, and is flawed but in an understandable way. He is independent minded, and struggles against the conformity of Salem that is so like 1950s America. In short, he's like every other hero rebel – the same man in so many movies in stories, just realized this time in 17th century Salem.

What started the Salem witch trials? In their contemporary parallel of the red scare, we know that there really were Communists. But in 17th century Salem, there was no true witchcraft. So how did this thing start, and what does Miller have to say about its origins?

A major point of the play is that the witch trials were not truly started by any event or scandal – the discovery of the girls dancing in the woods was merely a tipping point, not the true origin. Miller is steadfast in his belief that the social structure of Salem is what caused the witch hunt and allowed it to accelerate. If it hadn't been Betty Paris falling sick after dancing in the woods, it would have been something else.

Act One is punctuated by prose passages in which Miller details the background of Salem and the characters. However, this background mixes facts from the historical record with the changes Miller made for dramatic reasons. What do you think of this?

Because the prose passages are contained within a fictionalized dramatic work, a reader should be aware that the passages are subject to the limitations of the form. However, Miller speaks with the voice of a historian in these passages, not with the voice of a playwright, and gives no indication that what he says is less than historical fact. Indeed, it is a slightly worrisome idea – a play about a man who died for the truth is so free with its own truths.

What is the function of Reverend Hale in the narrative?

Reverend Hale is an interesting and well-developed minor character. He serves the dramatic function of an outsider, aiding in exposition in the first act even as his presence catalyzes the witch trials. But in the third act, he begins to question the trials, and by the fourth act has renounced them completely and is actively working against them. Hale shows that the ministry and the courts need not all be evil, but that it is possible to realize the error of one's own ways and work to fix their effects.

Mary Warren is a bit of a cipher – we see her only as a pawn of Abigail, and then of Proctor, and then again of Abigail. Do we learn anything about the "real" Mary Warren?

Mary Warren is a particularly undeveloped character in the narrative, who functions largely as a plot device. We know that she is a weak-willed and terrified girl, who is easily manipulated by people stronger than herself. Abigail and Proctor are the ones who manipulate her, both threatening her with violence and vengeance, which draws a lucid connection between those two. Mary wants to be good, but she lacks the ability to see clearly where this good choice lies.

Are the judges evil? Be sure to define what you mean by "evil" in your answer.

This is a deceptively simple question. Miller believed that the judges in the witch trials were purely evil, and has stated that if he were to rewrite the play, he would make them less human and more obviously and thoroughly evil. But is evil a function of the will, or a failure of reason? These men did not set out to do evil – they legitimately saw themselves as doing God's work. Is it evil to be wrong? Arguably, the Putnams are the most evil characters in Miller's interpretation of the events, as they both support the trials and clearly are aware of the falsity of the charges.

The Crucible Questions and Answers

The Question and Answer section for The Crucible is a great resource to ask questions, find answers, and discuss the novel.

The Crucible, Act 2

1) Proctor believe the girls to be liars and tells Hale how Abigail said Parris discovered the girls sporting in the woods. Hale claims that it is nonsense, as so many have confessed, but Proctor says that anyone would confess if they will be...

As the act opens, who is being interrogated, and on what charge?

In the beginning of Act III, Martha Corey is being interrogated on charges of witchcraft.

why does reverend parris send for reverend hale?

Because Reverend Hale is an intelligent man who has studied witchcraft extensively.

Study Guide for The Crucible

The Crucible is a play by Arthur Miller. The Crucible study guide contains a biography of Arthur Miller, literature essays, quiz questions, major themes, characters, and a full summary and analysis.

• About The Crucible
• The Crucible Summary
• Character List

Essays for The Crucible

The Crucible essays are academic essays for citation. These papers were written primarily by students and provide critical analysis of The Crucible by Arthur Miller.

• Conformity, Imbalance of Power, and Social Injustice
• Sins and Ambitions
• The Stream of Conscience in Arthur Miller's The Crucible
• The Crucible as an Allegory
• Contemporary Events Leading to The Crucible

Lesson Plan for The Crucible

• About the Author
• Study Objectives
• Common Core Standards
• Introduction to The Crucible
• Relationship to Other Books
• Bringing in Technology
• Notes to the Teacher
• Related Links
• The Crucible Bibliography

Wikipedia Entries for The Crucible

• Introduction
• Characters (in order of appearance)
• Originality

The Crucible as a Political Allegory | Political Background or Context of the Drama

The Crucible as a Political Allegory

In his classic drama The Crucible , Arthur Miller chronicles the horror of the Salem witch trials, an embarrassing episode of colonial America’s history. At first reading, one might only view Miller’s work as a vivid account of the tragedy of theocracy in America’s late seventeenth century. However, with an understanding of the period in which Miller penned his work, one can easily view the witch trials of The Crucible as an authentic allegory of the “Red Scare” of the 1950s in America by drawing parallels in settings, characters, and the pervasive paranoia of both societies.

To begin with, although centuries apart, the two periods have several dramatic similarities in regards to setting. Seventeenth century colonial America was a mysterious, quite often frightening destination for those who had risked the perils of a voyage from England to make a life for themselves to a New World. For these Puritan settlers of The Crucible , their new home of Salem touches “the edge of the wilderness” and appears “[…] dark and threatening, over their shoulders night and day, for out of it Indian tribes marauded from time to time” (Miller 5). In comparison to these colonial emigrants in search of a land where they could enjoy a life free of persecution are the many European emigrants who flooded American soil in the late 1940s and early 1950s. These “modern day” emigrants, like their colonial counterparts, arrived on a new continent, one quite alien from the European countries that many of them had fled. Certainly, Miller had not only the obvious comparison of setting but also the distinct similarities of characters in mind when he structured his allegory.

Furthering the argument to support The Crucible as an allegory is the uncanny resemblance between the antagonists and protagonists from Miller’s work and the real life villains and heroes of the “Red Scare”. Obviously, Judge Hathorne and Deputy Governor Danforth’s unyielding authority in the Salem witch trials is reminiscent of all who held position of power on the Committee for Un-American Activities. Just as twentieth century Senator Joseph McCarthy and his cronies believed that any semblance of Communism was a threat to America’s freedom, Danforth fears that “there is a moving plot to topple Christ in the country!” and that this plot must be eradicated (Miller 98).

In addition to these narrow-minded antagonists from both periods are the “free thinkers,” who choose not to implicate any of their contemporaries in these “witch hunts.” Certainly the outspoken John Proctor who “speak[s] [his] own sins” but will not “judge another” because he “has no tongue for it,” is symbolic of Arthur Miller himself as well as those of the artistic community who refused to implicate their friends as “reds” when the paranoia over communist infiltrators continued to mount (Miller 141).

Finally and most importantly, it is this paranoia, common to both stories, that offers the strongest argument for the fact that Miller intends his work as an allegory. Post World War America was still recovering from the evils of Hitler when the threat of Communism began to seep into American society . Sadly, Senator McCarthy, with the zealous belief that the slightest hint of communism would rob America of its freedoms, became so fanatical that he and his committee succeeded in frightening most American citizens.

Just as McCarthy compiled his

“black list” of artists, who had done absolutely nothing un-American, Reverend Hale of Miller’s work feeds the colonists hysteria with his pronouncement that “[…] the Devil is alive in Salem, and we dare not quail to follow wherever the accusing finger points” (Miller 71).

Ironically, in both cases, the very leaders who set out to protect the beliefs and rights of their people instead violated those rights to the extreme by feeding the hysteria with their paranoid attitudes.

• Arthur Miller’s The Crucible as a Modern Tragedy

Arthur Miller’s play certainly depicts a tragic time in American history while offering the audience a vivid account of the misguided notions of a theocracy. However, there is no doubt that Miller’s ulterior motive in writing this account was to have it serve as an allegory for the traumatic “witch hunts” of the 1950s . Through his obvious parallels in characters and setting as well as the treatment of the paranoia from both periods, Arthur Miller has created a masterful allegory in his play The Crucible .

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Home — Essay Samples — History — Mccarthyism — The Crucible As An Allegory Of Mccarthyism

The Crucible as an Allegory of Mccarthyism

• Categories: Mccarthyism

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Words: 659 |

Published: Jun 9, 2021

Words: 659 | Page: 1 | 4 min read

Works Cited

• “Arthur Miller.” PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, 10 Mar. 2017, www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/arthur-miller-mccarthyism/484/.
• Learning, Ari Cushner. “US History II (American Yawp).” Lumen, courses.lumenlearning.com/ushistory2ay/chapter/the-cold-war-red-scare-mccarthyism-and-liberal-anti-communism-2/. 

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"The Crucible" Literary Analysis

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Essay On The Crucible (20/20)

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20/20 Essay

Composers offer insight into human behaviour that provokes audiences to see the world differently

As human beings, we are subjected to diverse experiences and interactions which shape our behaviours in compelling situations. Arthur Miller’s tragic play “The Crucible” explores the trepidation and distrust during the Salem Witch Trials as an allegory for the McCarthy era and the anti-communist Red scare occurring in 1950’s America. Through this text type, Miller highlights the unpredictability of human behaviour when fear becomes the prevailing emotion. This is demonstrated in the characters Reverend Samuel Parris as he fears the effects of a tarnished reputation and Mary Warren who is frightened and powerless to challenge the witch trials. These two characters are utilised within the play to provoke the audience to reevaluate their understanding of fear by exploring and expanding on specific human behaviours.

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