Introduction



Arthur Miller

Arthur Miller was born on October 17, 1915. Well known for his plays, such as Death of a Salesman and The Crucible, he was summoned by the House Un-American Activities Committee in 1956. At his meeting, he was asked and proceeded to refuse to identify communist writers, leading him to be held in contempt of court. During this time period known as the Red Scare, there was much fear of communism and being labeled as a communist. Similar to the witch hunts in Salem, anyone who went against the grain faced arrest and interrogation. In Salem, however, these people also faced the possibility of being hanged. For this reason, Miller wrote the Crucible about the Salem trials as an allegory for McCarthyism, the prevailing notion of the Red Scare led by Joseph McCarthy. In one instance, Miller stated that, "A political policy is equated with moral right, and opposition to it with diabolical malevolence." Essentially, this is a direct comparison between the Salem witch trials and McCarthyism as he states that repudating common political stances is similar to repudating moral beliefs. In both cases one is thought of as morally unsound. Miller equated the fear of communism in the 50's to the Salem Witch Hunts of 1692 due to these experiences with HUAC in 1956. On the other hand, in Salem, a group of young girls accused many of partaking in activities with the Devil. These actions were heavily frowned upon in Salem, a Puritan society, causing many to face incarceration or possibly death. At the end of the ordeal, 20 people were executed and 200 were accused.

Salem Witch Trials