Crucible Vs Mccarthyism

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When reading The Crucible by Arthur Miller and doing research on McCarthyism, it shows how much alike these subjects are and how they play a role hand in hand. In the Oxford dictionary, the definition of McCarthyism is “a campaign or practice that endorses the use of unfair allegations and investigations” which, in this case, explains exactly what happened in Miller’s story. The Crucible is all about the Salem witch trials and all of the blaming and accusations going on during this period. McCarthyism is also about accusing people and making people's lives change significantly. Arthur Miller’s The Crucible is an effective example of allegory and McCarthyism, making comparisons between the anti-communist hysteria of the 1950s and the Salem witch trials by looking …show more content…

By using aggressive strategies, such as public allegations and unsupported accusations, he took advantage of the anti-communist sentiment that occurred during the Cold War. Government officials, thinkers, artists, and ordinary people were among McCarthy’s victims; many of them suffered from damaged reputations and careers. According to Onion et al., “Arthur Miller defies the House Committee on Un-American Activities and refuses to name suspected communists.” (History.com). Inspired by these events, Arthur Miller- who himself was a victim of McCarthyism- wrote The Crucible, an enduring allegory that highlights the destructive effects of hysteria. The story written by Miller is connected to McCarthyism by the fact they both are related to hysteria and accusations of false information. McCarthyism created a culture of mistrust and brutality by creating fear and paranoia, which changed American society. During this time, the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was significant in looking into claims of communist participation in several industries, especially

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