Joseph Mccarthyism In The Crucible
Throughout Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, there are a series of prevailing questions: “Who was conspiring against you? Might you be a witch and not know it? Can an innocent person be guilty? Could anyone think themselves safe?” (Schiff 4). These questions are evidence of the hysteria that swept through Salem, Massachusetts during the winter of 1692 and again during the peak of the anti-communist revolution in the 1950’s. In The Crucible, innocent people were in danger of being accused of witchcraft and during the reign of McCarthyism innocent people were being accused of communism. “We too have been known to prefer plot over truth; to dent the evidence before us in favor of the ideas behind us; to do insane things in the name of reason; to take that satisfying step from the righteous to the self-righteous; to drown our private guilt in a public well; to indulge in a little delusion.” (Schiff 9). 1692 and the 50’s was a period of time consumed with fear and panic. The Crucible combined with evidence from the era of McCarthyism demonstrates how a frenzied society can influence authority. The anti communist paranoia known as McCarthyism; influenced by a Sen. Joseph McCarthy, created chaos in the 1950’s. The Cold War that was occurring between the
…show more content…
Soviet Union and the United States that intensified American’s fear of Communist was known as the Red Scare. People believed that communism would attack “the form of government that was guaranteed by the Constitution” (Abbotson 1). The HUAC, or House Un-American Activities Committee, was a committee that investigated supposed communist sympathizers. “People were called before the committee often based on inconclusive or questionable evidence” (Abbotson 1). This mass hysteria caused the lives of thousands to be destroyed by false allegations of communism. Innocent people were blacklisted and shunned from communities. One of the many people that were accused was author, Arthur Miller. Miller frequently spoke out against the HUAC, and he eventually was subpoenaed by the committee in 1956, where they confronted him with an ultimatum: he had to name the names of “other communist sympathizers” or he was to be cited. While Miller served no prison time, the paranoia of what had occurred was evident in his famous play, The Crucible. There were many parallels between the HUAC’s rooting out of suspected communist supporters and the 17th century witch hunt. In Miller’s The Crucible, there were many instances where innocent people were accused of witchcraft, rather than communism. Their Puritan society was extremely afraid of the Devil, just like 1950’s American was terrified of communism. When Betty Proctor, the daughter of Salem’s minster, was “afflicted with the Devil,” paranoia quickly spread through the small town. To avoid being accused of witchcraft, people would quickly accuse other people of communing with the Devil. In Act I of The Crucible, Abigail Williams; orphan and ringleader of the “afflicted girls,” claims that she “ saw Sarah Good...Goody Osburn.. [and] Bridget Bishop with the Devil!” to avoid persecution (Miller 52). It was the narrow-mindedness of the court system that allowed this to continue. Instead of focusing on healing the “afflicted girls,” they fed into the hysteria. They disregarded the individuals that were accused, and sentenced them to death, in order to try and eradicate the Devil that was supposedly in Salem. Similar to McCarthyism, the hysteria influenced the government, causing them to become irrational, and desperate to weed out the “evil.” In both cases of paranoia shown in The Crucible, and during the era of the Red Scare, hysteria supersedes logic and rational thinking.
Hysteria can only thrive when people benefit from it. In Miller’s play, Abigail and all the other girls used the mass hysteria to their advantage. They accused other people of witchcraft and correspondence with the Devil, to protect themselves in the eyes of the court systems and in their communities. During McCarthyism, the HUAC would force the accused people to cite others, so they could be exonerated. Both times, decisions were made without any evidence. Miller’s play ended with 20 people being executed while McCarthyism caused hundreds of people to be socially and politically
exiled.
Soviet Union and the United States that intensified American’s fear of Communist was known as the Red Scare. People believed that communism would attack “the form of government that was guaranteed by the Constitution” (Abbotson 1). The HUAC, or House Un-American Activities Committee, was a committee that investigated supposed communist sympathizers. “People were called before the committee often based on inconclusive or questionable evidence” (Abbotson 1). This mass hysteria caused the lives of thousands to be destroyed by false allegations of communism. Innocent people were blacklisted and shunned from communities. One of the many people that were accused was author, Arthur Miller. Miller frequently spoke out against the HUAC, and he eventually was subpoenaed by the committee in 1956, where they confronted him with an ultimatum: he had to name the names of “other communist sympathizers” or he was to be cited. While Miller served no prison time, the paranoia of what had occurred was evident in his famous play, The Crucible. There were many parallels between the HUAC’s rooting out of suspected communist supporters and the 17th century witch hunt. In Miller’s The Crucible, there were many instances where innocent people were accused of witchcraft, rather than communism. Their Puritan society was extremely afraid of the Devil, just like 1950’s American was terrified of communism. When Betty Proctor, the daughter of Salem’s minster, was “afflicted with the Devil,” paranoia quickly spread through the small town. To avoid being accused of witchcraft, people would quickly accuse other people of communing with the Devil. In Act I of The Crucible, Abigail Williams; orphan and ringleader of the “afflicted girls,” claims that she “ saw Sarah Good...Goody Osburn.. [and] Bridget Bishop with the Devil!” to avoid persecution (Miller 52). It was the narrow-mindedness of the court system that allowed this to continue. Instead of focusing on healing the “afflicted girls,” they fed into the hysteria. They disregarded the individuals that were accused, and sentenced them to death, in order to try and eradicate the Devil that was supposedly in Salem. Similar to McCarthyism, the hysteria influenced the government, causing them to become irrational, and desperate to weed out the “evil.” In both cases of paranoia shown in The Crucible, and during the era of the Red Scare, hysteria supersedes logic and rational thinking.
Hysteria can only thrive when people benefit from it. In Miller’s play, Abigail and all the other girls used the mass hysteria to their advantage. They accused other people of witchcraft and correspondence with the Devil, to protect themselves in the eyes of the court systems and in their communities. During McCarthyism, the HUAC would force the accused people to cite others, so they could be exonerated. Both times, decisions were made without any evidence. Miller’s play ended with 20 people being executed while McCarthyism caused hundreds of people to be socially and politically
exiled.