The Crucible: Relevant Historical Allegory



The Crucible

The Crucible: Relevant Historical Allegory
“The Crucible” by Arthur Miller is a historically motivated play presenting a shocking view of human nature and of what a community of otherwise vibrant and civilized people of faith and moral principle are capable of when insecurity, fear, prejudice and superstition are introduced.   Arthur Miller is concerned about what he perceives to be a weakness in the moral fabric of America, he sees a people dedicated to a belief in freedom and yet vulnerable to hysterical violence against dissenters.   The literary setting in “The Crucible” is a peaceful religious community in colonial Salem, Massachusetts which degrades into a frantic frenzy of hearings before local magistrates to prosecute over 150 people accused of witchcraft.   It addresses the historical social drama of the Witch Trials of 1692 and in so doing Miller subtly applies the famous Salem witch trials allegorically to make parallels to the contemporary moral climate to frame contemporary lessons to his audience. Arthur Miller’s play sharpens moral awareness of the ‘witch trials’ phenomenon as a recurring contemporary theme in the crucible of American culture and society. The Crucible is a relevant allegory that Witch Trials are always with us.
The contemporary context of the play is post-WWII , to an American audience under Cold War fear of the Communists in the 1950s and fear of a potential WWIII.   “The Crucible” was aimed at this “emotionally charged anti-red communist paranoia and the congressional investigation of the subversive activities in the U.S. led by the passionate but power hungry Senator Joseph McCarthy” (Schlueter 34). Miller uses his play to interpret Salem behavior to make a moral stance on what he saw as mindless persecution similar to the many lives and careers were ruined by McCarthy’s anti-communist fear driven hearings. The people summoned before the House of Anti-American activities were required to betray others by...