The Crucible an introduction

Arthur Miller 1915 - 2005 playwright   playwright married Marilyn Monroe in 1956; divorced in 1961 won Pulitzer Prize for drama for Death of a Salesman wrote The Crucible  

The Crucible scenes from the play

The Salem Witch Trials Puritan society - theocracy (church and government are one unit), very strict, no explanation for the weird or unusual except that it was "the Devil's work." clergy --> men --> women --> children  clergy were the closest to God, so they were put high up in power.   Men were the next important because, well, they were men. women were shameful from the Garden of Eden when Eve tempted Adam with the apple  children were young and easily susceptible to the Devil  

Mass Hysteria People were so worried about the Devil being present in Salem that they reacted to anything strange with hysterics, causing panic across the entire village.   enemies - neighbors revenge competition   When the entire village is hysterical = mass hysterics.  Crowds can cause more problems than an individual. 150 arrested & imprisoned; 31 witchcraft trials; 29 witchcraft convictions; 19 hanged for witchcraft (14 women/5 men); 1 killed because of his refusal to cooperate with officials.

writing The Crucible Miller traveled to Salem, Massachusetts, to research The Salem Witch Trials of 1692-1693. The Crucible - a story; The Salem Witch Trials - historical Abigail Williams represents many girls found in the research the play is an allegory – a symbolic story   Allegory: when the plot of a story represents something other than the literal words on the page.  Literal story: The Salem Witch Trials Figurative story: McCarthyism SO, WHY DIDN'T HE JUST WRITE A STORY ABOUT WHAT HE WANTED TO?  WHY SO DIFFICULT?

Some history...The Cold War at end of World War II, the US and Russia seemed to be the most powerful nations in the world, so there was some competition and tension = The Cold War no actual fighting   Russia = communist; America = didn't like communists; we became afraid of Russian spies (atomic bomb).   a communist could be the person next door!  In 1953, a communist was scarier than most other things and a very real possibility

What is communism? Communism is a way of living in which the government owns and runs all the business. There are many forms of communism, the "ideal" form of society. Karl Marx set down the foundation of modern communism. Unfortunately all peaceful attempts to have a communist society have been abandoned early on. Usually the only way to have a communist regime is through revolution. These regimes often have a cruel dictator and are, therefore, not "ideal." There are also many factions of communism; these factions oftentimes fight each other.   Americans appreciate their freedom. We get nervous when people take those away (religion, speech, personal property & belongings) Communist Regime: no "American dream; no self-made person government runs everything many people came to America to flee corrupt countries communism breeds violence, disorder, corruption

Senator Joseph McCarthy wanted power - used the country's fear to get power   claimed he had a list of 205 people in the government who were communists "Red Scare" senator from Wisconsin

McCarthyism McCarthyism is a term that means to charge someone (falsely) of being disloyal; there is no evidence, just the accusation McCarthy pushed the government to create Acts and committees to investigate people and organizations. Because people were so scared about the possibility of communists, they went along with him - even though he had no evidence!  HUAC (see next slide)   McCarthy's downfall alcoholism ruined his career…People saw him as crazy. He lost his power However, the fear of communism still existed

HUAC (House of Un-American Activities Committee) investigated Hollywood, usually very left-wing politically actors testified to avoid prison sentences more actors refused to cooperate - convicted of contempt and sentenced up to one year in prison BUT, much worse, they were blacklisted HUAC tried to force them to say names of people who were communists HOLLYWOOD TEN Protestors—producers & screenwriters

Hollywood Blacklisting 300 entertainers were placed on a blacklist for possible communist views and were forbidden to work for major Hollywood studios - they lost their jobs and couldn't be hired back Arthur Miller was one of those entertainers. He admitted that he had attended a couple communist meetings with friends but denied he was a communist.  He refused to name names and was cited for contempt of Congress (fined $500.00, sentenced to 30 days in prison, blacklisted from Hollywood, and denied a U.S. passport).  In 1958, his conviction was overturned because it was held that the person interviewing Miller acted inappropriately and misled him deliberately.

McCarthyism & The Crucible allegory - what is that definition again?   Miller wrote a story showing how silly the people of Salem were for hanging 19 people with the only evidence being that of teenage girls. He was really writing a story about the treatment of American citizens through McCarthyism - same idea!!! Witch-hunts - any time a person is searching for a scapegoat for a problem, but operates without evidence.  Hysteria and panic are usually associated!  Do you know what the word 'scapegoat' means?

"crucible" - what does that word mean? 1.  a porcelain vessel that can withstand high heat. It is used for  melting a substance 2.  a severe test   3.  a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to  cause or influence change or development