Salem Witch Trials Live On Through "The Crucible"

 

Arthur Miller

In 1950, Arthur Miller began writing a play about the Salem witch trials called “The Crucible“. In 1953, the play appeared on Broadway. Through this play Miller was able to connect the past with the present. When Arthur Miller wrote “The Crucible,” he had an alternative motive other than just to entertain. During the 1950’s, the U.S. was struggling to prevent communism in the Cold War. Communist spies were implanted all over the U.S. transmitting valuable information to our enemy. An American politician by the name Joseph McCarthy, claimed to have a list of 200 known communists within the government. He never really had any evidence, but managed to make numerous accusations. Some of which conveniently turned out to be true. However, his accusations of people in high positions eventually led to his down fall. Joseph McCarthy’s scheme is referred to today as McCarthyism. Does McCarthyism ring a bell? It should, because the Salem witch trials happened for the same reason McCarthyism did. In Midge Decter’s commentary over “The Crucible”, it states, “Arthur Miller found in the hysteria that overtook Salem a useful parallel to America's preoccupation with the activities and influence of the country's alleged Communists” ( Decter 1). I find humor in Miller’s discovery that both Joseph McCarthy and the people of Salem were on “witch-hunts”. This is Miller’s ultimate reason for writing a play over the Salem witch trials. He used his play as a mockery of McCarthyism. He was simply making fun of current events while connecting them to the past. So you see, the past has a way of making it into the future. It also has a way of reoccurring in different forms as we have seen. Keep your eyes out for the next extreme religion, or reoccurring event to take place in your lifetime.

 

Decter, Midge. "The Crucible." Commentary 103.3 (1997): 54+. Gale U.S. History In Context. Web. 5 May. 2011.

 

"Playwright Arthur Miller wrote successful plays such as Death of a Salesman and The Crucible." American Decades Primary Sources. Ed. Cynthia Rose. Vol. 6: 1950-1959. Detroit: Gale, 2004. Gale U.S. History In Context. Web. 5 May. 2011.