The Use Of Overture In The Crucible By Arthur Miller

In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, the author employs the use of an Overture to introduce his characters and as a transportation device of his theme. In doing so, he creates a parallel, that would appear to be uncanny and mysteriously specific if unintentional, between the Puritan society’s dreaded and rather disgusting witch trials, and the more recent issue that was relevant at the time The Crucible was written--the Red Scare and McCarthyism. He uses this parallel to his advantage in several instances, unearthing the scandalous actions of Senator Joseph McCarthy. First, two topics within the Salem Witch Trials are seen: intolerance and reputation. Miller was attempting to bring America back to reality by showing how frivolous it was to assume