Historical Context

cru·ci·ble (kro��o�′sə bəl) noun

1. a small earthen pot, used to heat metals to high temperatures

2. the hollow at the bottom of an ore furnace, where molten metal collects and is purified.

3. A test of the most decisive kind; a severe trial; as, the crucible of affliction.

The Crucible is a play by the American playwright Arthur Miller that incorporates all three denotations of the noun.

It is the story of a man who, under the heat of tremendous scrutiny, endures a personal test or trial of his convictions.

In the end, our protagonist, like a metal that undergoes an intense fire, is drastically, unalterably changed, perhaps oddly purified, by the experience.

Like the protagonist John Proctor, America in the 1950s, the decade in which Miller wrote the play, was also undergoing its own fiery test; on trial were some of the most basic tenets of American life:• Basic human liberties as

defined in The Bill of Rights• A basic sense of security• A basic sense of decency.

The Crucible then, draws from two widely dissimilar, seemingly unrelated historical contexts.

But Miller warns in the preface to The Crucible that “this play is not history,” but it is certainly dependent on historical events for its story.”

The primary period of this play is the 17th century, specifically the time of the Salem Witch Trials.

Running thematically and symbolically parallel to these early events in American history are those that took place in Miller’s own time, the era of McCarthyism 1948-1956.

In the 1600s, Puritans settled on the East coast of the United States. They brought with them the hope of religious freedom.

The Puritans aimed to establish a sort of heaven on earth, a religious utopia for believers. At the same time, they were keenly aware that this experiment in theocracy was not a solitary pursuit. Puritan John Winthrop alerted Puritans to their duty in his 1632 sermon “A Model of Christian Charity”, saying

“For we must consider that we shall be a city upon a hill. The eyes of all people are upon us....”

In essence, the Puritans faced their own crucible even as they stepped foot upon the new land. If they followed God’s will, they would prosper, if they defied him, they would fail.

The idea of morality tied to survival and to the goals of a higher cause, created in Puritan society a sense of vigilance, a constant and uncompromising watch for signs of sin.

So ultimately and ironically, instead of extending even an ounce of the tolerance denied them in England – rather than setting an example for the world - the Puritans became disparaging, nosey, rigid, even cruel in their estimation of others

The Puritans traded idealism for what they perceived as obedience and loyalty. They created a society that aimed to control, judge, and punish its citizens.

Nowhere is this idea more in evidence then when the Puritans became embroiled in hysteria over the existence of witches.

Early in the year 1692, in the small village of Salem, MA, a group of girls fell ill - victims to hallucinations and seizures.

In extremely religious Puritan New England, frightening or surprising occurrences, known as “spectral events” were often attributed to the devil or his cohorts.

The sickness spurred fears of witchcraft. It was not long before the girls, and many other residents of Salem, began to accuse other villagers of witchcraft.

It began as a way for the oppressed girls to enjoy a bit of freedom and control.

It then became an ideal way to get revenge on It then became an ideal way to get revenge on anyone whom you disliked, or whose presence anyone whom you disliked, or whose presence posed a threat. posed a threat.

People started to accuse their neighbors of witchcraft so they could steal their farmland.

People accused others of witchcraft if they wanted to steal their husbands or wives or possessions.

Old grudges and jealousies spilled out into the open, fueling the atmosphere of hysteria and paranoia.

The Massachusetts government and judicial system, heavily influenced by religion, rolled into action.

Most of those accused of being witches were women.

Many were healers, and used plants to heal people.

Many were without family, and this made them easy targets.

They were people who did not fit in with the mainstream for some reason.

Within a few weeks, dozens were in jail on charges of witchcraft.

By the time the fever had run its course in late August 1692, 150 people had been accused; 19 people (and two dogs) were hung, and one pressed to death for witchcraft.

Arthur Miller recognized disturbing similarities between the political climate of the 1950’s and Salem.

The same mood of fear, suspicion, and intimation that ruled the New England town in 1692 was very much in evidence in the mid 20th century.

Miller uses the Salem Witch Trials, to criticize • McCarthyism and • the RED SCARE of the

1950s. He states that history

is cyclical; we need to recognize that history, in this case, is repeating itself.

He claims that McCarthyism was nothing more than a modern-day • WITCH HUNT

witch hunt: noun

1 : a searching out for persecution of persons accused of witchcraft.

2 : the searching out and deliberate harassment of those (as political opponents) with unpopular views

3: a political campaign launched on the pretext of investigating activities subversive to the state.

Although the Soviet Union and the United States had been allies during World War II, their alliance quickly unraveled once they had defeated their common enemy.

In the U.S., after WWII, many Americans felt that China and Eastern Europe had been “lost” to the Soviets.

Russia acquired the atomic bomb; some people believed by stealing the plans from America. Many Americans feared that Russia would use the bomb. They thought Communism posed a great threat to America and that the Truman Administration was not vigilant enough in eliminating this threat.

The political unrest of a post-war society, a rising uneasiness with a change in “American values” and a fear of moral DECADENCE, and widespread intolerance were all factors leading to THE GREAT SCARE of communism.

Harry s. Truman

33rd President of the United States in office from April 12, 1945 – January 20, 1953

Widespread fear – even paranoia – took root in the United States, creating an atmosphere of vigilance, extreme nationalism, and mistrust.

American Anti-Communism Propaganda Film

He Might Be a Commie

Widespread fear – even paranoia – took root in the United States, creating an atmosphere of vigilance, extreme nationalism, and mistrust.

American Anti-Communism Propaganda Film

He Might Be a Commie

Joseph McCarthy, a republican senator from Wisconsin, spent his first three years in office “undistinguished.”

Some described him as a “lazy and easily corrupted

He sought fame and power.

His political career was fading, until he used the charged political climate to boost that career.

He was the most expedient of politicians

On February 9, 1950, Republican senator Joseph McCarthy dropped a political bombshell. McCarthy gave a speech at the Republican Women's Club of Wheeling, West Virginia, in which he attacked the Truman administration and claimed to have a long list of Communists in the State Department. No one in the press actually saw the names on the list, but McCarthy's announcement made the national news.

McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) worked to root out all Communist sympathizers in the country, thus creating a

Modern Day Witch Hunt

It is widely accepted that McCarthy made up these accusations solely to enhance his political power.

Many people were willing to believe his charges without evidence because people wanted to feel protected; they would exchange liberty for security.

McCarthy became the most sought-after public speaker in America. He was named one of Washington’s most eligible bachelors. His office was flooded with donations to help his cause of eliminating the Communist threat. At one point, he received an average of $1000.00 a day in the mail.

Eventually, he had to escalate his accusations and not just speak generally of government officials, but actually NAME NAMES. He branched out to intimidate and attack private citizens– usually the most vulnerable members of society or people in professions considered liberal (journalists, professors, artists, etc.)

Insufficient tolerance for human diversity Prejudice/Bias Scapegoating

Persecution of unpopular minority groups

Overblown fear of the unfamiliar Heightened Emotions

Irrational Fear and Paranoia

Self-Righteousness and Moral Judgment Blind Idealism

Moral Absolutism and a STRINGENT concept of Purity/Morality

Mob Mentality Hysteria

Corruption of Power Self-Absorbed Authority Figures Greed for AGGRANDIZEMENT

Through intensive interrogation by Senator Joseph McCarthy, using tactics of distortion, a modern witch hunt began.

Those who were sympathetic to the Communist cause, or those who had connections with Russia, however distant, could be summoned before the committee to explain their involvement.

People were told to recant Communist beliefs and name their former friends and associates in the communist cause. When people denied allegations or refused to name names, they were punished.

Citizens were blacklisted, unemployed, and in some cases, isolated from this country for over 30 years.

Howard Lawson Testimony http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F7W3XbDZqO4

Joseph Welch Testimony http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MO2iiovYq70

Of particular interest to the House Un-American Activities Committee were those practicing communists in the artistic community.

The reasoning was that the most dangerous methods for converting Americans to communist beliefs would be through the films, music, and art that they enjoyed.

McCarthy prosecuted a great many playwrights, screenwriters, and other artists. In a number of cases, McCarthy was successful in “blacklisting” these artists – which meant no one would purchase their services for fear of being linked to Communism.

NOTE: Arthur Miller, author of The Crucible, was directly connected

to the world of Hollywood. He even married Marilyn Monroe.

The first enacted Hollywood blacklist was initiated the day after ten writers and directors (known as THE HOLLYWOOD TEN) were cited for contempt of Congress for refusing to give testimony to the House Un-American Activities Committee.

The very people McCarthy aimed to silence were the very people society looks to for revelation and framing of truth.

But how does the artist communicate when the attempt could cause them to lose their jobs, maybe even their freedom.

If you don’t feel safe criticizing the US Government, you create a fictional work that dramatizes a similar situation.

Arthur Miller commented on these times through the use of

Allegory – (noun)• a representation of an

abstract or spiritual meaning through concrete or material forms; figurative treatment of one subject under the guise of another. (dictionary.com)

• The rhetorical strategy of extending a metaphor through an entire narrative so that objects, persons, and actions in the text are equated with meanings that lie outside the text. (about.com)

The journalist Edward R. Murrow tirelessly exposed the exploits of the Wisconsin Senator in his evening program See it Now, in which he showed McCarthy speaking and exposed McCarthy’s techniques of interrogation. Murrow’s life is chronicled in the film Good Night And Good Luck staring Robert Downy, Jr.

In 1954, McCarthy was censured by both Democrats and Republicans in the Senate. He served two more undistinguished and largely anemic years in the Senate.

In 1957, at the age of 48, McCarthy died of cirrhosis, likely caused by acute alcoholism.

See It Now – Edward R. Murrow

Edward R. MurrowSee It Now

March 9, 1954

The Pandora woods in the film Avatar is similar to the Amazon rainforest (the movie stops in its tracks for a heavy ecological speech or two), and the attempt to get the Na'vi to 'cooperate' carries overtones of the U.S. involvement in Iraq and Afghanistan."

Animal Farm is a scathing attack on Joseph Stalin and the Russian Revolution using Manor Farm for Russia and replacing historical participants with farm animals. The novel is rife with political commentary on the futility of even attempting to establish utopian societies

The 1954 film Gojira, in which a monolithic beast rages through Japanese cities in an orgy of apocalyptic devastation, is a direct response to the atomic assaults on Hiroshima and Nagasaki a decade earlier.

These panels include a direct

paraphrase of the speech by Senator Joe McCarthy that

launched his career as a

Communist-hunting

demagogue.

NOTE: Marvel replaces the fear

of communism with the fear of

alien life forms. )

Miller used the true, actual events of the Salem witch hysteria in the 1600s to parallel the McCarthy’s “witch hunt” of the 1950s! However, he employed artistic license to deliver his message. Characters are not actual representations, rather they are composites of the historical figures.

Drawing on research on the witch trials he conducted while an undergraduate, Miller composed The Crucible in the early 1950s.

The Crucible was Arthur Miller’s way of protesting the House Unamerican Activities Committee hearings. He compared the Communist hearings to the witch hunts of Salem, where gossip, rumors, and fear were evidence enough to convict people – a time in history that everyone accepts as morally and legally unjust.

The term “witch hunt” now applies to any activity where people are looking for a scapegoat or where they are using accusations to get revenge or to get personal gain or attention.

Modern Day Witch Hunts: • The Holocaust• Japanese American

Internment Camps• Hispanics in Arizona• Proposition 8• Racial Profiling

Muslims African Americans

• Stereotyping

So demoralizing, so spiritually and profoundly traumatized, was this nation that even today, over 60 years later, the accusation of Communism remains an common scare tactic and a particularly stigmatizing form of attack on an a citizen’s patriotism and values.

Watch: Glen Beck:

McCarthyism: The Documentary Better Dead than Red Part1

For Further InquiryFor Further Inquiry