The Crucible Witch Hunt and the Allegory

In the 1600s, Puritans settled on the East coast of the United States. They brought with them the hope of religious freedom, but instead became embroiled in hysteria over the existence of witches. They had been persecuted in their native England, but they created a theocracy and eventually persecuted others.

Most of those accused of being witches were women. Many were healers, and used plants to heal people. Many were without family, and this made them easy targets. They were people who did not fit in with the mainstream for some reason.

One of the ways most witches were accused was with the use of “spectral evidence.” If someone said they had seen the accused with the devil in a dream, or that the accused had visited them in the night, or had hurt them, it was taken as evidence that the devil was at work. 20 executed Between 175 to 200 imprisoned

How did it start? In 1692, several girls in the village of Salem, Massachusetts became intrigued when a West Indian servant told them stories of magic and voodoo from her native land. Bored and restricted by the oppressive Puritan life, the girls slipped into the woods one night and “conjured” love charms and hexes. One girl, Betty Parris, slipped into unconsciousness when her father caught them. She wouldn’t wake up, and this started the discussion of witchcraft. To avoid punishment, the girls created the story of the “witches” who made them dance and conjure the spells.

Why did it happen? It began as a way for the oppressed girls to avoid being punished. It then became an ideal way to get revenge on anyone whom you disliked. People started accusing their neighbors of being witches so they could steal their farmland. People accused others of being witches if they wanted to steal their husbands or wives or possessions. It was a way to confess sin or guilt without taking full responsibility, as fault was directed at the accused.

Those accused of being witches were most often found guilty. Sometimes they were sentenced to be tied to a rock and dunked in a pond, and if they sank, they were declared innocent. Innocent. If they somehow survived the dunking, they were obviously witches, and they were executed. Most of those found guilty of witchcraft were hung. One man was pressed to death with rocks.

Why Arthur Miller wrote “The Crucible” Arthur Miller, one of America’s most famous playwrights, lived during the 1950s and experienced the Communist hysteria of the era. People thought their were Commies everywhere, and one man, Senator Joseph McCarthy, made it his personal mission to find Communists and destroy their lives by bringing them before something called the HOUSE UNAMERICAN ACTIVITIES COMMITTEE.

Senator McCarthy accused many people— actors, writers, people in media, people in the military — of being Communists. He held hearings where people were commanded to give names of other Communists in order for leniency. People were afraid they might be named as Communists, and it was called the Red Scare. (‘Red’ was a word used for a Communist.)

The Crucible was Arthur Miller’s way of protesting the House Unamerican Activities Committee hearings. He compared the Communist hearings to the witch hunts of Salem, where gossip, rumors, and fear were evidence enough to convict people. The term “witch hunt” now applies to any activity where people are looking for a scapegoat or where they are using accusations to get revenge or to get personal gain or attention.

Allegory

The Crucible »Ostensibly about the Salem Witch Trials of 1692  Used trial documents but fictionalized  Combined, created or changed characters  Major trial events are relatively accurate »Really a criticism of the House Committee on Un-American Activities »Ostensibly about the Salem Witch Trials of 1692  Used trial documents but fictionalized  Combined, created or changed characters  Major trial events are relatively accurate »Really a criticism of the House Committee on Un-American Activities

Makings of a Salem Witch Hunt »Salem was a village divided  Land ownership disputes  Dispute about reverend position & compensation  People stubborn about deeply held beliefs »Salem was repressed  Expression of individual thoughts and desires frowned upon or even outlawed  Children to be seen not heard were particularly repressed »Spark & Ignition  A group of girls were caught playing at magic and pressured into naming those who bewitched them  A special court was set up  Spectral evidence was used »Salem was a village divided  Land ownership disputes  Dispute about reverend position & compensation  People stubborn about deeply held beliefs »Salem was repressed  Expression of individual thoughts and desires frowned upon or even outlawed  Children to be seen not heard were particularly repressed »Spark & Ignition  A group of girls were caught playing at magic and pressured into naming those who bewitched them  A special court was set up  Spectral evidence was used

Makings of a Communist Hunt »WWII rise of Communist Party in the US »Cold War becomes intense after USSR gains atomic power »Conservatives in power »Truman initiates disloyalty laws »House of Un-American Activities Committee reinvigorated  Investigates communist activity  Alger Hiss and Rosenberg Cases  Hollywood Blacklist & The Hollywood Ten  McCarthy and his accusations  Others pressured to name others as communists »WWII rise of Communist Party in the US »Cold War becomes intense after USSR gains atomic power »Conservatives in power »Truman initiates disloyalty laws »House of Un-American Activities Committee reinvigorated  Investigates communist activity  Alger Hiss and Rosenberg Cases  Hollywood Blacklist & The Hollywood Ten  McCarthy and his accusations  Others pressured to name others as communists

Results of both Witch Hunts »Colonial Salem  20 innocent people were executed  Dozens more were imprisoned  One was stoned to death  Families lost their land and livelihood »1950’s  Hundreds unjustly lost their jobs  10 were jailed for 6 months to 2 years  1 was sentenced to 5 years in prison  2 were executed »Colonial Salem  20 innocent people were executed  Dozens more were imprisoned  One was stoned to death  Families lost their land and livelihood »1950’s  Hundreds unjustly lost their jobs  10 were jailed for 6 months to 2 years  1 was sentenced to 5 years in prison  2 were executed

Literary Elements to Look For »Themes & Motifs  Intolerance & Jealousy  Irrationality & Hysteria  Reputation  The Court »Irony  Tragic fall  Using righteousness for personal gain »Tragedy  John Proctor as tragic hero  Finds his moral center as everything crumbles around him »Themes & Motifs  Intolerance & Jealousy  Irrationality & Hysteria  Reputation  The Court »Irony  Tragic fall  Using righteousness for personal gain »Tragedy  John Proctor as tragic hero  Finds his moral center as everything crumbles around him

Tragic Hero »A tragic hero has the potential for greatness but is doomed to fail. He is trapped in a situation where he cannot win. He makes some sort of tragic flaw, and this causes his fall from greatness. Even though he is a fallen hero, he still wins a moral victory, and his spirit lives on.

Tragic Hero- Aristotle Characteristics: BORN INTO NOBILITY: RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN FATE ENDOWED WITH A TRAGIC FLAW DOOMED TO MAKE A SERIOUS ERROR IN JUDGEMENT Eventually… FALL FROM GREAT HEIGHTS OR HIGH ESTEEM REALIZE THEY HAVE MADE AN IRREVERSIBLE MISTAKE FACES AND ACCEPTS DEATH WITH HONOR MEET A TRAGIC DEATH THE AUDIENCE IS AFFECTED BY PITY and/or FEAR Characteristics: BORN INTO NOBILITY: RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR OWN FATE ENDOWED WITH A TRAGIC FLAW DOOMED TO MAKE A SERIOUS ERROR IN JUDGEMENT Eventually… FALL FROM GREAT HEIGHTS OR HIGH ESTEEM REALIZE THEY HAVE MADE AN IRREVERSIBLE MISTAKE FACES AND ACCEPTS DEATH WITH HONOR MEET A TRAGIC DEATH THE AUDIENCE IS AFFECTED BY PITY and/or FEAR

American Tragedy »Cultural element of tragic hero »The “every man” »“What is an American?” »American Ideal: Everyone is valued »Cultural element of tragic hero »The “every man” »“What is an American?” »American Ideal: Everyone is valued

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