Arthur Miller Influence On The Crucible
Arthur Miller, the author of The Crucible, lived through the 1950’s. During that time, there was a fear of communist ideas, and Americans had a campaign against it. Experiencing this time period had a lot of influence on the reasoning behind Miller writing this play. The Crucible was a play on the hysteria that was produced when the U.S. government sought to suppress Communism and radical leftism activity in America (Thirteen). McCarthyism and personal experiences during that time are two of the most important factors on why Arthur Miller wrote this play set in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. The personal connections that Miller had made while writing The Crucible shined through his writing. When he was in an American History class at Michigan,
he had read and learned about the Salem Witch Trials and the topic remained in his mind as an inexplicable mystification (Miller 216). During the 1950s, when the idea of communists in America was sweeping the country, many people were being called upon and blamed of being a communist, or for supporting Communism, and so was Miller: Arthur Miller was called before the Committee of Un-American Activities and was questioned about his activities with the American Communist Party (Arthur Miller 216). He wrote the play to warn about mass hysteria that he and many others had to deal with, and to plead for freedom and tolerance (Arthur Miller 216). In addition to that, Arthur Miller traveled to Salem, Massachusetts and read transcripts in 1952, and formed the characters of John Proctor and Abigail Williams (The New Yorker). Arthur Miller’s personal experience with being questioned about being a communist influenced his decisions about writing the play. The time period when Arthur was in around his forties was a challenging time. Because of the idea of McCarthyism, there was a sense of trepidation throughout the nation: throughout the 1940s and 1950s America was overwhelmed with concerns about the threat of communism in Easter Europe and China (McCarthyism 213). The HUAC would falsely accuse people of being or supporting communists, and would persecute them. This relates to The Crucible directly because of people like Rebecca Nurse who were also falsely accused. Another reason why experiencing the era of McCarthyism influenced the writing of this play was the false confessions of Americans accused of associating with communism. People would falsely confess in order to save their lives and to not be put in jail. Miller writes about this in his play, and many people save themselves by taking this course. Lastly, both McCarthyism during the 1950s, and the Salem Witch Trials during 1692 set communities apart. Both pinned neighbors, co-workers, and friends against each other to make the individual look innocent. The comparison between The Crucible and the 1940s and 1950s can definitely be translated, and is understandable. Although, Arthur Miller’s The Crucible does not pose a direct understanding of the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism, readers and viewers can certainly piece together connections that are proposed. The play was originally written to be alert his fellow Americans about the misinformation and propaganda that was headed their way (Write a Writing). Analogies were made that helped people grasp the personal connections, and the time period of McCarthyism. Characters in Arthur’s piece of work were faced with the same challenges and punishments that the accused were faced with from the Committee of Un-American Activities.
he had read and learned about the Salem Witch Trials and the topic remained in his mind as an inexplicable mystification (Miller 216). During the 1950s, when the idea of communists in America was sweeping the country, many people were being called upon and blamed of being a communist, or for supporting Communism, and so was Miller: Arthur Miller was called before the Committee of Un-American Activities and was questioned about his activities with the American Communist Party (Arthur Miller 216). He wrote the play to warn about mass hysteria that he and many others had to deal with, and to plead for freedom and tolerance (Arthur Miller 216). In addition to that, Arthur Miller traveled to Salem, Massachusetts and read transcripts in 1952, and formed the characters of John Proctor and Abigail Williams (The New Yorker). Arthur Miller’s personal experience with being questioned about being a communist influenced his decisions about writing the play. The time period when Arthur was in around his forties was a challenging time. Because of the idea of McCarthyism, there was a sense of trepidation throughout the nation: throughout the 1940s and 1950s America was overwhelmed with concerns about the threat of communism in Easter Europe and China (McCarthyism 213). The HUAC would falsely accuse people of being or supporting communists, and would persecute them. This relates to The Crucible directly because of people like Rebecca Nurse who were also falsely accused. Another reason why experiencing the era of McCarthyism influenced the writing of this play was the false confessions of Americans accused of associating with communism. People would falsely confess in order to save their lives and to not be put in jail. Miller writes about this in his play, and many people save themselves by taking this course. Lastly, both McCarthyism during the 1950s, and the Salem Witch Trials during 1692 set communities apart. Both pinned neighbors, co-workers, and friends against each other to make the individual look innocent. The comparison between The Crucible and the 1940s and 1950s can definitely be translated, and is understandable. Although, Arthur Miller’s The Crucible does not pose a direct understanding of the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism, readers and viewers can certainly piece together connections that are proposed. The play was originally written to be alert his fellow Americans about the misinformation and propaganda that was headed their way (Write a Writing). Analogies were made that helped people grasp the personal connections, and the time period of McCarthyism. Characters in Arthur’s piece of work were faced with the same challenges and punishments that the accused were faced with from the Committee of Un-American Activities.