America was very different in the 1950’s and Arthur Miller wanted to capture that
uniqueness of the time period. Therefore, he was inspired to write “The Crucible” to
express his thoughts and feelings during that time period.
Why did Arthur Miller become an author in the first place? He originally became
an author to show the political drama that was going on in America, “…Arthur Miller
was inspired to write a drama reflecting the mass cultural and political hysteria produced
when the U.S. government sought to suppress Communism…” The Unites States had a
lot of issues, most of them political ones, that caused people to suffer. Peoples lives were
being ruined because they were being accused of something that they had not committed.
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While the ones who actually committed the crime got away because he was rich enough to bribe someone or there wasn’t enough evidence to prove them guilty. That is why The Unites States tried to hide communist actions and other radical leftist activities throughout the country.
However, the citizens of the United States found out because it
became obvious with the propaganda around. Arthur Miller didn’t write “The Crucible”
until the McCarthyism era, which was a time were thousands of Americans were accused
of being communist which resulted in thousands of investigations and questionings
before actually looking for real communists. Miller’s personality became affected,
“…affected the play wright personality.”. This means that it reminded him of the
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political fear he had when the government was deporting immigrants who were trying to
make a living of themselves while trying to feed a family. In “The Crucible” we see this
though out the play because people were being accused of doing witchcraft even though
they had not. Rumors spread throughout the town causing distrust and chaos among all
people. In the end people with political power had the final say in the case of if you are a
witch or not.
What inspired him to write many different stories was that he liked to express
reality into a work of fiction. Which is what he did in “The Crucible” and all the other
stories, “That is because critics say Miller was able to dramatize the emotional pain
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that average people suffer in their daily lives.” He translated what he saw in a person’s life with a twist in the end. Miller was also able to mold social problems into a plot for his writing, “But Miller's interest in the average man did not stop him from exploring major problems of society.” This means that he liked to see things go sour so he can take this little piece of reality and use it for a plot in his story.
In “The Crucible” one biggest social
issue was the murder/killing of innocent people because they were accused of being a
witch, this strike fear into the townspeople of the government committing horrible
crimes. Miller was not only influenced by the American Life back in the day but, what he
felt around him too (his emotions), showing how he felt and his opinions to the public.
Miller has done some un-American things in his life, such as being under the
suspicion of being a communist, “Miller was under some suspicion of being a
Communist or sympathizer himself, based on petitions signed and meetings attended
dating back to the 1940s.” Miller did used to attend communist meetings during the Red
Scare. “Miller refused to “name names” and was convicted of contempt of Congress.”
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This shows that he was doing some questionable stuff that made him seem like a
communist sympathizer because he refused to name anyone in court while he was under
fire for going to communist meetings and signing petitions. In the end based on
the evidence founded he seems to be a communist doing un-American things. Americans would not do that mainly because of the fear invoked by the government and the Red Scare.
In the article, Miller discusses the rise of McCarthyism, and how it affected the American people and him personally. Being that Miller lived in the time of McCarthyism and was interviewed by the committee in charge of “Un-American Activities”, Miller is a very credible source on the effects of mass hysteria and paranoia. The article “Are You Now or Were You Ever” can be used as a source when discussing McCarthyism and its effects, and other studies of the era. This article is a valuable resource for studies of The Crucible and studies of Arthur Miller
Context: This part of the text is included at the beginning of the drama, telling the audience about Salem and its people. The author explains how a theocracy would lead to a tragedy like the Salem witch-hunts. This is the initial setting and is based on the principle that some people should be included and some excluded from society, according to their religious beliefs and their actions. This is basically the idea that religious passion, taken to extremes, results in tragedy. Miller is saying that even today extremes end up bad- communism, like strict puritans, was restrictive and extreme. It only made people suffer.
During Author Miller’s era of the 1950’s, the ‘cold war’ was happening. Senetor Joeseph McCarthy was completely against communism and began to arrest the communists and people assosiating with them. Those arrested were forced to either name names to identify those who were communists or thought to be, or else they would remain in jail. This was callef McCarthyism For many, being prisioned was a terrible frightening thought so they would name names including any that they could think of that could be innocent. Author Miller was arrested for associating with communists and refused to identify others, and wrote The Crucible, using it as an allegory to identify the problems of society and it’s flaws of the corrupt government.
Life as a human is dictated by an inborn hunger or purpose, and people, in general, will act on this hunger for their own personal gain in their individual ways. This hunger, be it for wealth, land, love, power, revenge, or pride, can, and will be the undoing or failing of all mankind as Miller so clearly points out in his play 'The Crucible';. This essay will explore the motives of characters within the play and even the motives of Arthur Miller himself and therefore show how conflict stems from certain recognisable human failings including those mentioned above, fear, and hysteria.
Authors often have underlying reasons for giving their stories certain themes or settings. Arthur Miller’s masterpiece, The Crucible, is a work of art inspired by actual events as a response to political and moral issues. Set in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, The Crucible proves to have its roots in events of the 1950’s and 1960’s, such as the activities of the House Un-American Committee and the “Red Scare.” Though the play provides an accurate account of the Salem witch trials, its real achievement lies in the many important issues of Miller’s time that it dealswith.
Arthur Miller expresses the concept of oppression being present in every society through the characters of The Crucible. "It is still impossible for man to organize his social life without repressions." As discussed, personal motives, disputes and misuses of power, as well as distorted religious beliefs are the roots of the maltreatment in Salem. Miller’s statement and message is valid and applicable in every society, and for every
'A container in which metals are heated, involving a change. A severe test or trial.';
Persecution has been a round for sometime and can be traced historically from the time of Jesus to the present time. Early Christians were persecuted for their faith in the hands of the Jews. Many Christians have been persecuted in history for their allegiance to Christ and forced to denounce Christ and others have been persecuted for failing to follow the laws of the land. The act of persecution is on the basis of religion, gender, race, differing beliefs and sex orientation. Persecution is a cruel and inhumane act that should not be supported since people are tortured to death. In the crucible, people were persecuted because of alleged witchcraft.
Miller, Arthur. "WHY I WROTE "THE CRUCIBLE"" The New Yorker. N.p., n.d. Web. 16 Feb. 2014. .
Nine critical approaches are utilized when analyzing a piece of literature in order to appeal to a variety of critics. Arthur Miller’s play The Crucible can be interpreted from numerous approaches, but one lens that is unmistakable throughout is the psychological criticism. From a psychological standpoint, one gains access to the mindset of both the author and the characters within. In addition to this, the reader also acquires a greater understanding of the motivations, behaviors, and mental state that each character possesses. Through psychological criticism, one can obtain information on a character’s motivation, the likelihood of their actions, and which behaviors are consciously made.
A group of teenage girls were secretly dancing in the woods with a black slave, named Tituba. When they were discovered of what they were doing, the girls started accusing certain individuals in the village of dealing with witchcraft. Within a blink of an eye, the entire village is controlled by a devil that exists within the fear of each person. A drama of suspense and impact, Arthur Miller's The Crucible, explores through the individuals' vengeance, fear, reputation, and quest for power.
Writers may use literature as a vehicle of social criticism. In which ways does Arthur Miller criticize society?
Costello, Donald P. “Arthur Miller’s Circles of Responsibility: A View From a Bridgeand Beyond.” Modern Drama. 36 (1993): 443-453.
Parallels between Arthur Miller’s play, The Crucible, and his article Why I wrote the Crucible, can easily support Miller’s reasons for writing this classic play. Miller’s purpose in writing both the play and the article was to emphasize the similarities between the 1692 witch hunt and the 1950’s Red Scare. Miller simply wanted to convey the message of fear over reason, express himself in a new language of old English, to warn of mass hysteria, and most importantly compare his life in the 1950’s to the irrational trial in 1692. Miller’s reasons are numerous, and while they are all stated flat out in his article, they are also clearly stated and understood in the play.
- Murphy "The tradition of social drama: Miller and his forebears" in Bigsby, Christopher, W. E. (ed) The Cambridge Companion to Arthur Miller Cambridge University Press, Cambridge (1997)