The Crucible
by Arthur Miller
The Crucible
by Arthur Miller
Published in 1953, Arthur Miller's The Crucible
echoed the fears and emotions of the current time perfectly. Written about
the Salem Witch Trials in Massachussetts during the 1600's, the play tracks
John Proctor's attempt to stand up to the common beliefs of the time. While
the rest of the town is caught up in pursuing the devil's disciples, Proctor
tries to open the community's eyes to the truth. A group of supposedly
innocent girls pretend to be afflicted by the spirits of older women in
the community. The town's elders, mostly men, support these girls, prosecuting
and hanging the accused women, in fear of becoming the next victims. Another
reason the townsfolk went along with the accusations and trials was because
the devil was a way to explain the misdoings, and a place to put the blame.
During the 1950's, this play was written to
show the direct parallel between modern-day America, and the paranoia and
fear breeding in Puritan Salem, Massachussetts. In the 1950's, political
figure Joseph McCarthy accused many prominent Americans of being communists.
This rash of accusations set off more, which in turn set set off a deep,
ingrained fear of Communism in America's collective conscience. McCarthy
thrived on this fear, using it to rise to power and his decree remained
unquestioned for many years (see Foreign Affairs/Politics).
This quote, taken from the introduction, reflects the message and meaning
behind the play. "The question is not the reality of witches but the power
of authority to define the nature of the real, and the desire, on the part
of indviduals and the state, to identify those who purging will relieve
a sense of anxiety and guilt."
Through The Crucible, Arthur Miller was able
to communicate his aggravation with McCarthyism and the prevailing beliefs
of the time. The purpose, in essence, of writing this play was Miller's
way of showing that defying authority sometimes was the right thing to
do. Miller shows that the self-destructive abuse of power is frightening
on a small scale, and tries to get the reader to imagine the same amount
of control on nationwide level?something that wasn't too far from the truth
during 1950's. Miller's commentary on America's current political standing
rebelled against authority, yet not against society. He subtly criticized
the government and, on a smaller level, the public for allowing this to
happen. The play was a call to the public, asking them to speak out against
this and telling them that the power was in them. While his message was
rebellious, Miller's writing style was less so, putting him somewhat in
the middle.
Miller was famous before writing The Crucible,
due to the success of his prior play, Death of a Salesman. His fame
was somewhat of an insurance, because he knew that his feelings would have
more weight with the public and would be taken seriously. Miller must have
known that his opinions would be held at a higher value with adults and
other authority figures, even the ones he was speaking out against. This
did, however, put him at risk for the very thing he was writing about-being
targeted as a communist. Miller was willing to take the chance, it seems,
to get his feelings out and this play was worth the risk.
Excerpt