Allegory In The Crucible
Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is a very wise piece that perfectly explains the story of two time periods. Although Miller literally wrote about the Salem witch trials, his purpose was to describe the McCarthy trials which teaches many ideas about human life both generally and regarding politics. The two time periods were more than two and a half centuries apart, yet they had many factors that overlapped. Miller explains the McCarthy trials through The Crucible by teaching people’s fears, faults, and politics, making the text both a metaphor to the trials and an allegory. Both The Crucible and the McCarthy trials have many parallels. In both instances there was a climate filled with fear. As mentioned in the Background page of the test, since
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Judge Danforth’s aforementioned quote on page 1324 shows his concern for himself and his reputation rather than the lives of the multitude of innocent Salem civilians whose lives depend on his verdict. Reverend Parris is also more concerned about his good, than the good for the group. One instance of this is shown on page 1324 when he tells Judge Danforth not to hang the respected accused individuals saying, “You cannot hang this sort. There is danger for me. I dare not step outside at night!” This quote shows that Parris is not concerned with the hanging of the accused individuals who are not as respected, nor is he concerned with his supposed mission to banish all evil from Salem. He is just concerned about his well being. The characters of Judge Danforth and Reverend Parris both symbolize choosing good for one as opposed to choosing the good for the group. In conclusion, not only is The Crucible a metaphor to the McCarthy trials, but it also an allegory. It being a metaphor to the McCarthy trials can be seen through how both trials happened due to fear. Also, in both cases the accusers abused their power and made false accusations, since they knew people would believe them due to their platform. It is an allegory since it represents the human ideas about there being seven deadly sins and how in politics, people choose the good for one over the good for the group. The Crucible is a very significant piece of literature from which many things can be learned
Judge Danforth’s aforementioned quote on page 1324 shows his concern for himself and his reputation rather than the lives of the multitude of innocent Salem civilians whose lives depend on his verdict. Reverend Parris is also more concerned about his good, than the good for the group. One instance of this is shown on page 1324 when he tells Judge Danforth not to hang the respected accused individuals saying, “You cannot hang this sort. There is danger for me. I dare not step outside at night!” This quote shows that Parris is not concerned with the hanging of the accused individuals who are not as respected, nor is he concerned with his supposed mission to banish all evil from Salem. He is just concerned about his well being. The characters of Judge Danforth and Reverend Parris both symbolize choosing good for one as opposed to choosing the good for the group. In conclusion, not only is The Crucible a metaphor to the McCarthy trials, but it also an allegory. It being a metaphor to the McCarthy trials can be seen through how both trials happened due to fear. Also, in both cases the accusers abused their power and made false accusations, since they knew people would believe them due to their platform. It is an allegory since it represents the human ideas about there being seven deadly sins and how in politics, people choose the good for one over the good for the group. The Crucible is a very significant piece of literature from which many things can be learned