This conformity is an allegory for McCarthyism in the US during the 1950's, where Miller draws a parallel to the irrationality of fear and their willingness to do nothing, as the determinant that ultimately bridged the gap allowing the injustice to flourish, bringing about the persecution people suffered for not conforming to societal norms. Furthermore the townspeople are essential to the understanding of how allowing others to meter out justice allows them to deny their responsibility for the madness it creates, however it does not make them any less accountable for ignorance. .
There is a vast extent of dramatic irony used that intensifies emotions of suspense for the reader. Proctor's wife, Elizabeth, is called to witness on the allegations that he had an affair with Abigail. Miller revealed to us that Proctor had confessed "God help me I lusted," unbeknownst to Elizabeth and she mistakenly covered up the affair that contributed to Proctors arrest. Elizabeth's situation placed immense pressure on her, in which she struggled to either tell the truth or to lie. Elizabeth acknowledged how much Proctor valued his reputation in theocratic Salem, where public and private moralities were one and the same. Furthermore, the fear of guilt by association and the allegations that might be impended on their children and their future reputations threw Elizabeth into a state of panic. Like Elizabeth, the reader wrestles with the conflict of whether she will confess or not, intensified when she makes the seemingly terrible decision to "protect" him. Essentially it encourages our curiosity to investigate as to the fate of Proctor. This dramatic irony serves two purposes. Miller is accentuating the innate instinct of human nature that drives a person to preserve their own reputation. Having a good reputation serves to fulfil the human desire to magnify one's ego and to feel respected.
