The Crucible
McCarthyism and The Crucible It has been said many times that if people don't learn from their mistakes they are doomed to repeat them, such is the case throughout history. There are many different examples of this, but one example is the blatant similarities between the witch trials in Salem, Massachusetts and the era of McCarthyism. When considering the nature of these events, it is hard to believe that they could have actually happened, not would only once, but twice. If one would take the time to compare these events he or she will be able to see numerous similarities between them. In The Crucible Miller relates an analogy of the witch trials in Salem to the investigation of communists by Joseph McCarthy. There are many similarities between these two events in history.
One similarity that can be clearly seen is the way in which each of events in McCarthyism and the Salem witch trials, had the ability to ruin a person's life through a simple accusation. An example of this is very evident in The Crucible. The character of John Proctor is accused of committing the crime of witchcraft. When it comes time to confess, he knows that confessing will save his physical life, but at the same time it will ruin his reputation. He said "Why must it be written? Why must I say it?" (Miller 138, 140). Proctor knows that his confession will be posted on the church wall for all to see. This is why he ends up tearing up the confession. If it was seen by anyone in the community John Proctor's reputation would be tarnished to the point where he could no longer show his face in Salem. Therefore, he chose death over humiliation. A parallelism of this can be seen in the era of McCarthyism. If one was accused by Senator Joseph McCarthy of being a communist his or her life was ruined. This process became known as blacklisting. President Truman once said "Character assassination is their stock in trade.". This shows how those accused of communism had their lives taken away
One similarity that can be clearly seen is the way in which each of events in McCarthyism and the Salem witch trials, had the ability to ruin a person's life through a simple accusation. An example of this is very evident in The Crucible. The character of John Proctor is accused of committing the crime of witchcraft. When it comes time to confess, he knows that confessing will save his physical life, but at the same time it will ruin his reputation. He said "Why must it be written? Why must I say it?" (Miller 138, 140). Proctor knows that his confession will be posted on the church wall for all to see. This is why he ends up tearing up the confession. If it was seen by anyone in the community John Proctor's reputation would be tarnished to the point where he could no longer show his face in Salem. Therefore, he chose death over humiliation. A parallelism of this can be seen in the era of McCarthyism. If one was accused by Senator Joseph McCarthy of being a communist his or her life was ruined. This process became known as blacklisting. President Truman once said "Character assassination is their stock in trade.". This shows how those accused of communism had their lives taken away