Arthur Miller, the playwright of The Crucible, once said, “I think the tragic feeling is invoked in us when we are in the presence of a character who is ready to lay down his life, if need be, to secure one thing -- his sense of personal dignity.” This quote relates to The Crucible because John Proctor, a man who was accused of being a witch, and many others had lost their dignity after being accused. Also during the Red Scare, many people lost their dignity after being accused. The Crucible was written in 1952, the events that occurred in the play shadows the events that occurred during the Red Scare. Arthur Miller’s tragedy, The Crucible, is an allegory for the Red Scare of the 1950s called McCarthyism. In February 1692 to May 1693, the
…show more content…
The main accuser in The Crucible, Abigail Williams, accused people to get the focus off her. Once she accused someone else she realized that the people would believe whatever she said. So she used this power and accused people for self-interest. One person she wanted to get rid of was, Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctor’s wife. Abigail wanted to get rid of Goody Proctor because Abigail was in love with John and wanted him all to herself. Once Abigail had obtained her power, the people of the village weren’t willing to stand up to her because then she would then accuse them of being a witch. Although she had no evidence to support her accusations, she used the fear of the people to convince them. During the trials if the accused tried to defend themselves, whatever they said was used against them. Joseph McCarthy was the main accuser of communist during the Red Scare, hence McCarthyism. McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. McCarthy accused people because he wanted power and attention. McCarthyism describes the mayhem of an era where fear and paranoia totally obliterated moderation, reason, and common sense. People weren 't willing to stand up to McCarthy because, like the Puritans, they were afraid of being accused of being a communist. Like during the witch trials, if someone tried to defend themselves of communist it would just be used against them. Danforth, judge in The Crucible, and McCarthy’s technique during the hearings were marked by incessant questioning, presumption of the defendants’ guilt, acceptance of insufficient evidence, and stubborn insistence on the effectiveness and power of the proceedings. When accusing Tituba of being a witch, Abigail said, “She sends her spirits on me in church, she makes me laugh at prayer… she comes to me every night to go drink blood… she comes to me while I
The main accuser in The Crucible, Abigail Williams, accused people to get the focus off her. Once she accused someone else she realized that the people would believe whatever she said. So she used this power and accused people for self-interest. One person she wanted to get rid of was, Elizabeth Proctor, John Proctor’s wife. Abigail wanted to get rid of Goody Proctor because Abigail was in love with John and wanted him all to herself. Once Abigail had obtained her power, the people of the village weren’t willing to stand up to her because then she would then accuse them of being a witch. Although she had no evidence to support her accusations, she used the fear of the people to convince them. During the trials if the accused tried to defend themselves, whatever they said was used against them. Joseph McCarthy was the main accuser of communist during the Red Scare, hence McCarthyism. McCarthyism is the practice of making accusations, subversion, or treason without proper regard for evidence. McCarthy accused people because he wanted power and attention. McCarthyism describes the mayhem of an era where fear and paranoia totally obliterated moderation, reason, and common sense. People weren 't willing to stand up to McCarthy because, like the Puritans, they were afraid of being accused of being a communist. Like during the witch trials, if someone tried to defend themselves of communist it would just be used against them. Danforth, judge in The Crucible, and McCarthy’s technique during the hearings were marked by incessant questioning, presumption of the defendants’ guilt, acceptance of insufficient evidence, and stubborn insistence on the effectiveness and power of the proceedings. When accusing Tituba of being a witch, Abigail said, “She sends her spirits on me in church, she makes me laugh at prayer… she comes to me every night to go drink blood… she comes to me while I