The Sociological And Political Impact Of The Crucible By Arthur Miller

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Written in a time of mass hysteria and civil unrest Arthur Miller’s “The Crucible” is a play that prompts its readers to comprehend the dangers of widespread lunacy. While the setting takes place during the Salem Witch Trials it is well known that Miller was writing about The Red Scare of 1950’s in which Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House of Un-American Activities falsely accused and investigated many individuals of supporting communism successfully destroying their careers and spreading dismay among the general public. The sociological and political impact of The Crucible is remarkable as being written in a time of persecution The Crucible enables the reader to understand the distribution of fear and the mentality of those who participate in the spread of paranoia. …show more content…

More specifically, “When he wrote it, Senator Joseph McCarthy and the House Committee on Un-American Activities were prosecuting alleged Communists from the State Department to Hollywood; the Red hunt was becoming the dominant fixation of the American psyche.”(https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/1996/10/21/why-i-wrote-the-crucible) this is significant as many individuals who attempted to fight back were blacklisted from Hollywood and publicly humiliated. In many instances, individuals who did not comply with McCarthy or The House of Un-American Activities were permanently barred from work in the entertainment business. Consequently, the method in which Miller expressed his frustration with the current government was exceptionally thorough in regards to exploring the notions of mindess deceit and frantic incrimination. Furthermore, by writing The Crucible not only was Miller able to resist censorship and successfully captured a shameful moment in The United States history through his literary

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