... 1600s version of the McCarthy hearings and persecution of communist spies during his time, the 1950s. There are some difficulties in interpreting The Crucible as a strict allegorical treatment of 1950s McCarthyism. For one, there were never any witches in Salem; however, there most definitely were ... in which Senator Joe McCarthy aroused paranoia and suspicion of Communists in the public was most definitely similar to Abigail's actions. Another very clear similarity between Miller's The Crucible and his actual life was the panic and hysteria caused by an unwarranted fear. Whether this ...

• Word Count: 981
• Approx Pages: 4
• Grade Level: Undergraduate

... searches for a scapegoat and finds one in John Proctor. Mary Warren finally breaks out and screams to Proctor, "You"re the Devil's man!" (Miller, Crucible 876) Her outburst at John is clearly caused by a sinister threat that Abigail utters in Act One. She intimidates Mary Warren and the other girls when she threatens, "Let either of you breathe a word about the other ... things, and I will bring a pointy reckoning that will shudder you." (Miller, Crucible 837) From the analysis of The Crucible, it is apparent that John's accusation is brought about because of Mary Warren's fear that Abi...

• Word Count: 1838
• Approx Pages: 7
• Has Bibliography
• Grade Level: Undergraduate