The Crucible

The Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller in 1953. It is based on the events surrounding the 1692 witch trials of Salem, Massachusetts. Miller wrote about the event as an allegory for McCarthyism and the Red Scare, which occurred in the United States in the 1950s. Miller was himself questioned by the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1956.

Motivation

Miller wrote the play to comment on the parallels between the unjust Salem Witch Trials and the Second Red Scare from 1948 to 1956. During McCarthyism, the United States was terrified of Communism's influence. Like the witches, communists were seen ingrained within every aspect of society. Miller was sent to jail for withholding the names of those whom he assumed to be communists. Many of Miller's peers, fearing the wrath of the court, provided names of suspected communists in an attempt to save themselves. Similarly, the characters in Miller's play turn on each other in an attempt to save themselves.

Related Topics:
Second Red Scare - Communism

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