by Arthur Miller

The Salem Witch Trials Salem, Massachusetts 1692 A small group of girls fell ill, falling victim to hallucinations and seizures. In extremely religious Puritan New England, frightening or surprising occurrences were often attributed to the devil or his cohorts. The unfathomable sickness spurred fears of witchcraft. It was not long before the girls, and then many other residents of Salem, began to accuse other villagers of consorting with the devil and casting spells. The result was an atmosphere of hysteria.

The Salem Witch Trials The Massachusetts government and judicial system soon became involved. Within a few weeks, dozens of people were in jail on charges of witchcraft. The hysteria lasted from May to September of 1692. 19 people—and two dogs—were convicted and hanged for witchcraft. One elderly man was pressed to death by stones. 150 prisoners awaited trial. Five more people died in prison.

The Salem Witch Trials By September 1692, the hysteria had begun to abate and public opinion turned against the trials. The Massachusetts government later annulled guilty verdicts against accused witches. However, the legacy of the Salem Witch Trials has endured for centuries.

Arthur Miller More than two centuries later, Arthur Miller was born in New York City in 1915. Miller studied English, drama and journalism, and began writing plays in college at the University of Michigan. He graduated in 1938. Miller wrote over 50 works, among them radio plays, novels, articles, and 17 stage plays. In 1953 Miller wrote The Crucible, which uses the Salem witchcraft trials of 1692 to attack the anti-communist “witch hunts” of the 1950s.

McCarthyism The 1950s saw the rise of Senator Joseph McCarthy, whose paranoid hunt for Communists propelled the U.S. into a dramatic anti-Communist fervor. During the Cold War, the Red Scare swept the U.S, and citizens worried that communism would make its way to American soil. McCarthy conducted Senate hearings that were supposed to flush out suspected communists from government and other areas of American life, including the Arts. McCarthyism was coined as the term associated with the hysterical communist “witch hunts.”

McCarthyism The policy resulted in a whirlwind of accusations. Many cooperated through false confessions, attempting to save themselves, creating the image that the U.S. was overrun with Communists, and perpetuating the hysteria. The liberal entertainment industry, in which Miller worked, was one of the chief targets. Some called to testify cooperated; others refused. Those who refused to incriminate their friends were placed on the infamous Hollywood Blacklist. Those placed on this list were denied employment based upon their suspected Communist sympathies.

Arthur Miller and the McCarthy Hearings Arthur Miller was called on to testify before the House Committee on Un-American Activities in 1956. Miller, although never a member of the Communist Party, had advocated principles of equality among the classes and social justice. At the hearings, he testified about his own experiences but refused to discuss the experiences of his colleagues and associates. He was blacklisted for his refusal to name names but was eventually removed from the list.

The Salem Witch Trials and The McCarthy Hearings While one occurred in 1692 and one in the 1950s, both led to… Suspension of rational judgment. People who challenged the authority of the court and soon found themselves under suspicion of guilt. Conscience was no longer a private matter but one of state administration.

The Crucible’s Relevance Illustrates the belief that history repeats itself Through the retelling of the Salem witch trials during the Red Scare of the 50s, The Crucible helped people to understand that often in life we are unable to see our moment in history very easily unless we are aided by earlier examples. In other words, unless we are able to make a connection between what is going on now and what has already happened, we cannot move forward. Shows the danger of mob mentality—the kind of thinking/action where a large number of people act on poor information or they act using emotions, rather than logic.

John Proctor The Tragic Hero of the play. Proctor is a good man but gives into his temptation for Abigail Williams, cheating on his wife, Elizabeth. His crime of adultery in Salem creates the play’s central issue of hysteria, spawned by Abigail’s jealousy of Elizabeth Proctor. In the end, John must decide whether to confess and tarnish his reputation, or keep quiet and allow the hysteria in Salem to flourish.

Abigail Williams The villain of the play—her lies and manipulation lead the people of Salem into mass hysteria, making way for witchcraft accusations and wrongful convictions of innocent people. Abigail’s character is not complex, as she shows little development and is motivated purely by her jealousy of Elizabeth Proctor. Her lust for power—as an orphan and unmarried woman, she’s low on the social ladder—creates severe outcomes for the other characters.

Reverend John Hale Begins the play as a naïve witch-hunter, but his experiences in Salem enlighten him. John Hale undergoes the most significant character transformation, from ignorant to wise, during the course of the play. Represents those who know the truth but are helpless to protect the innocent.

Characters Elizabeth Proctor - John Proctor’s wife. Reverend Parris -  The minister of Salem’s church. Rebecca Nurse -  Francis Nurse’s wife. Francis Nurse -  A wealthy, influential man in Salem. Judge Danforth -  The deputy governor of Massachusetts and the presiding judge at the witch trials. Giles Corey -  An elderly but feisty farmer in Salem, famous for his tendency to file lawsuits.

Characters Thomas Putnam - A wealthy, influential citizen of Salem. Ann Putnam -  Thomas Putnam’s wife. Ruth Putnam -  The Putnams’ lone surviving child out of eight. Tituba -  Reverend Parris’s black slave from Barbados. Mary Warren -  The servant in the Proctor household and a member of Abigail’s group of girls. Betty Parris -  Reverend Parris’s ten-year-old daughter. Martha Corey -  Giles Corey’s third wife. Ezekiel Cheever -  A man from Salem who acts as clerk of the court during the witch trials. Judge Hathorne -  A judge who presides, along with Danforth, over the witch trials. Herrick -  The marshal of Salem. Mercy Lewis -  One of the girls in Abigail’s group.

Setting 1692 Salem, Massachusetts The story takes place during the Salem Witch Trials. Miller uses a mix of fact and fiction to create a story relevant to the McCarthy witch- hunts of the 1950s.

Themes Hysteria Intolerance vs. Acceptance Individual vs. Public Ignorance vs. Wisdom Justice vs. Revenge