Arthur Miller's The Crucible vs. McCarthyism

During the years following World War II, concerns about Communism created a political frenzy in the United States. In 1950, Senator Joseph R. McCarthy of Wisconsin made an important speech in which he spoke out against communism. In his speech, he declared that he had the names of 205 individuals who appeared to be loyal to the Communist Party. After noticing Americans were beginning to become frightened of an outbreak of communism in the United States, McCarthy was made chairman of the Government Committee on Operations of the Senate, which gave him the opportunity to investigate the possibility of go

in factories, offices, butcher shops, on street corners, in private businesses---

Throughout his play, Judge Danforth abuses his government authority and power. The justice system is designed to protect the people that it serves but during the witch trials the accused victims have two choices: death or imprisonment. Arthur Miller uses John Proctor as a character that challenges the authority of Danforth. The punishment of death is given to those that plead not guilty; the other alternative is to plead guilty and live. John Proctor expresses his view of the justice system after Reverend Hale has told him that his wife, Elizabeth, has been accused of witchcraft by Abigail Williams:

as God’s fingers? I’ll tell you what’s walking Salem- vengeance is walking

Salem. We are what we always were in Salem, but now the little crazy

Some topics in this essay:
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