1. The Crucible by Arthur Miller
Background, Context, and Literary Merit
English 3 – Fall 2013

2. Introduction
Eyewitness Testimony and False Memories

3. False Memory Test
Based on the experiment shown in
You will need a piece of scratch paper for this activity.
A list of words will be shown and read aloud to you.
You will then have one minute to write down as many of the words as you can possibly remember.

4. Test 1:
Sour Nice Candy Honey Sugar Soda Bitter Chocolate Good Heart Taste Cake Tooth Tart Pie

5. Try again. Test 2:
Mad Wrath Fear Happy Hate Fight Rage Hatred Temper Mean Fury Calm Ire Emotion Enrage

6. Results
How many of you think you did better on the second test than the first test?
Look at your first list. Raise your hand if you wrote down the word sweet.
Look at your second list. Raise your hand if you wrote down the word anger or angry.
If you raised your hand either time, you have experienced a false memory; those words were not on either list.
“There is no correlation between the subjective feeling of certainty one has about a memory and the memory’s accuracy.”

7. Talk amongst yourselves.
How accurate was your memory?
Have you ever seen or read anything in the news about false eyewitness testimony or unjust convictions?
What do you know about the Salem witch trials and Puritan culture?
What do you know (or not know) about McCarthyism?

8. Arthur Miller
Oct. 17, 1915—Feb. 10, 2005

9. Who was Arthur Miller? American playwright Colorful public life
Best known for Death of a Salesman and The Crucible
Colorful public life
Rocky marriage to Marilyn Monroe
Refused to cooperate with the House of Un-American Activities Committee

10. Introduction to Act I
The Salem Witch Trials

11. A Brief History Colonial Massachusetts, 1692—1693
More than 200 people accused of practicing witchcraft; 20 executed (19 hanged; 1 pressed to death)
Salem was a struggling town at this time.
Colonists displaced by war (William & Mary vs. France, 1689) – many went to Salem Village
This strained Salem’s resources, worsening rivalries between wealthy families and those who still depended on agriculture
Controversy over Salem’s minister, Rev. Samuel Parris, whose rigid ways and greedy nature caused many to dislike him
The Puritan villagers believed all the quarreling was the work of the Devil.

12. Accusations
January 1692: Rev. Parris’s daughter Elizabeth, 9, and niece Abigail Williams, 11, begin having “fits”
Screaming, throwing things, making strange sounds, contorting themselves into strange positions
February 29: under pressure from town magistrates, the girls blame their fits on three women
Tituba (Parris family’s Caribbean slave)
Sarah Goode (homeless beggar)
Sarah Osborne (poor, elderly woman)
Paranoia leads to a stream of accusations

13. 10 Tests for Guilt at the Salem Witch Trials
Spectral evidence (testimony of dreams and visions)
Eyewitness testimony
Witch cake
Witch’s teat (any kind of mole or unusual blemish)
Artifacts (dolls; ointments; books)
Lord’s Prayer Test (must be uttered without error)
Touch test (accused witch’s effect on their “victims”)
Forced confession by dunking
Pressing (how Giles Corey died)
Bound submersion (a floating test)
Seems legit:

14. What is a “witch hunt”? witch hunt: noun
a searching out for persecution of persons accused of witchcraft
the searching out and deliberate harassment of those (as political opponents) with unpopular views
a political campaign launched on the illusion of investigating activities against the state
(Merriam-Webster onine)

15. What causes a witch hunt?
Insufficient tolerance for human diversity
Prejudice/Bias
Scapegoating
Persecution of unpopular minority groups
Overblown fear of the unfamiliar
Heightened emotions
Irrational fear and paranoia
Self-righteousness and moral judgment
Blind idealism
Moral absolution and a stringent concept of purity/morality
Mob mentality
Hysteria \
Corruption of power
Self-absorbed authority figures
Greed

16. Scapegoat
Every good witch hunt needs a scapegoat (a person that is blamed by others, regardless of whether they deserve the blame or not).
In 1692 Salem, people were accused of witch craft, even though they had done nothing wrong. In the 1950s, people were accused of being Communists even though many weren’t.

17. Introduction to Act II
The Puritans

18. An Introduction
Puritans: 16th or 17th century English religious persons seeking a change in style of worship
Puritans sought more “purity” in worship and doctrine than was present in the English Anglican church (created by King Henry VIII).
The Anglican church, at this time, had a large focus on ornate ceremonies and worship services.
“Separating Puritans” came to America in order to practice their own religion freely.
King Henry VIII

19. Beliefs
Puritans, as the name implies, followed a simple, pure form of religious doctrine and worship. Among their beliefs:
God’s authority over humans
Simplified their lives to remove distractions from religious duty
People were sinful by nature
The Puritans did not hate women, but women were certainly under more scrutiny than men.
Life should be dictated by Scripture
Fundamentalist interpretation of the Bible

20. Puritans believed in a lifestyle full of moderation and devotion to studying the Word of God. They had little time for material possessions and other things that might distract them from their duty. They believed that people were sinful and must always beg for God’s mercy. If you were alive during the Puritan times, do you think you would’ve been a ‘good Puritan’? Explain why or why not.

21. Introduction to Act III
McCarthyism

22. Historical Cycles
Arthur Miller warns in the preface to The Crucible that “this play is not history,” but it is certainly dependent on historical events for its story.
The Salem Witch Trials (1692): The action of the play takes place during the real Salem Witch Trials.
While Miller was writing the play (1950s), America was in the grip of the Red Scare (the fear that Communists were infiltrating America).
Arthur Miller used the events of the Salem Witch Trial to comment on and criticize the hunt for Communists in the 1950s.
By doing this, Miller was suggesting that the hunt for Communists in the 1950s was nothing more than a modern-day witch hunt.

23. Joseph McCarthy’s Reputation
Joseph McCarthy, a Republican senator from Wisconsin, spent his first three years in office “undistinguished.”
Some described him as a “lazy and ineffectual senator, and an easy captive for any lobbyist willing to put a few extra bucks into his personal or political bank account.”
He sought fame and power.
His political career was fading, until he used the charged political climate to boost that career.
(Oakley)

24. A Political Bombshell
February 9, 1950: Republican senator Joseph McCarthy dropped a political bombshell. He gave a speech in which he attacked the Truman administration and claimed to have a long list of Communists in the State Department. No one in the press actually saw the names on the list, but McCarthy's announcement made the national news. (Schulz)
McCarthy and the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) worked to root out all Communist sympathizers in the country. He began an investigation into the lives of citizens who appeared to have communist ideals. He held public trials and encouraged fear and paranoia.
(New Rep On Tour)

25. The Rise of a Witch Hunt
Through intensive interrogation by Senator Joseph McCarthy, using tactics of distortion, a witch-hunt began.
Those who were sympathetic to the communist cause, or those who had connections with Russia, could be summoned before the committee to explain their involvement.
People were told to recant communist beliefs and name their former friends and associates in the communist cause. When people denied allegations or refused to name names, they were punished.
Citizens were blacklisted, unemployed, and in some cases, isolated from this country for over thirty years.
(New Rep On Tour)

26. Evidence?
The evidence in McCarthy trials was “questionable” and often relied on the testimony of those attempting to avoid persecution themselves. McCarthy and his cohorts made what are now recognized as reckless and unsubstantiated accusations, as well as public attacks on the character or patriotism of political opponents.
McCarthy was never able to truly substantiate his charges. They are now widely accepted as false. Many believe his intentions were corrupt and that he was looking for political gain.
(New Rep On Tour)

27. A Modern-Day Witch Hunt
“Are you now, or have you ever been,
a Communist?”
Joseph McCarthy asked that question to MANY American citizens.
This question spurred a modern-day witch hunt.
McCarthy, a member of the American government, encouraged the cleansing of the community of one group by another – the vilification of one group to allay the irrational fears of another.

28. McCarthy’s Witch Hunt: Who Was Targeted?
Of particular interest to Joseph McCarthy’s House Un-American Activities Committee were those practicing communists in the artistic community. The reasoning was that the most dangerous methods for converting Americans to communist beliefs would be through the films, music, and art that they enjoyed. McCarthy prosecuted a great many playwrights, screenwriters, and other artists. In a number of cases, McCarthy was successful in “blacklisting” these artists – which meant no one would purchase their services for fear of being linked to communism. Major screenwriters, directors and actors were denied employment by major studios. A number of Miller’s contemporaries lost their livelihood due to these hearings, and the playwright himself was brought before the proceedings. (Oakley)
Arthur Miller, author of The Crucible, was directly connected to the world of Hollywood. He even married Marilyn Monroe.

29. The Hollywood Ten
The first processed Hollywood blacklist was initiated the day after ten writers and directors (known as THE HOLLYWOOD TEN) were cited for contempt of Congress for refusing to give testimony to the House Un-American Activities Committee.

30. The Crucible’s Literary Merit
Important Concepts

31. Protest Literature Noun:
Literature with a specific political or social aim, an intention to raise awareness or bring about change.
(Merriam-Webster on-line)
Arthur Miller’s intention was to emphasize the injustice of the McCarthy trials by relating them to a time in history that everyone accepts as morally and legally unjust.

32. Allegory
Noun:
The expression, by means of symbolic fictional figures and actions, of truths or generalizations about human existence.
(Merriam-Webster on-line)
Arthur Miller wrote the play as a political and social allegory for McCarthyism. His characters and events represent historical truths.

33. The Crucible and The Tragic Hero
A key element of a tragedy is the tragic hero.
A tragic hero is defined as the protagonist in a tragedy; a character who suffers greatly because of a personal flaw.
The tragic hero’s suffering causes the audience to feel pity for him/her
A tragic hero brings about his/her own downfall because of hamartia (tragic flaw).
Usually this tragic flaw is hubris (excessive pride).

34. Two men are credited with the definition of differing TRAGIC HEROES.
Aristotle
Arthur Miller

35. Aristotelian Tragic Hero
Tragic heroes are
Born into nobility
Responsible for their own fate
Endowed with a tragic flaw
Doomed to make a serious error in judgment
Eventually, tragic heroes
Fall from great heights or high esteem
Realize they have made an irreversible mistake
Face and accept death with honor
Meet a tragic death
For all tragic heroes
The audience is affected by PITY and/or FEAR

36. Arthur Miller’s Common Man Tragic Hero
Arthur Miller , the author of both Death of a Salesman and The Crucible, argues that a tragic hero need not be of high social standing.
He asserts the value in the common man hero –a man with flaws, with meekness.
What makes this man a hero is his desire and willingness to fight to maintain his own personal dignity.
What makes him relevant to our times is that he exists in everyday life.
He is not royalty or rich or on any sort of pedestal from which to fall. He is us. He is every man.

37. Works Cited
“Allegory.” Merriam Webster On-Line Dictionary. webster.com/dictionary/
Lequidre, Zorikh. “ The HUAC, McCarthyism, and Witch-Hunts Through Captain Marvel Comics”; Captain Marvel Culture
Miller, Arthur. “Tragedy and the Common Man." The Theater Essays of Arthur Miller. Viking Press /1977. Reprinted (by permission of Viking Penguin, Inc.) on The Literary Link.
Study Guide, The Crucible by Arthur Miller. New Rep On Tour: Professional Performance in Your School. Fall, New Rep Administrative Office.
Oakley, Ronald J. “The Great Fear.” God’s Country: America in the Fifties. Republished in Literature Connections: The Crucible and Related Readings. Illinois. McDougal Littel,
Schulz, Stanley K. , University of Wisconsin History Professor. Lecture 23, “The Coils of Cold War.” American History 102: Civil War to the Present
“Sullied Hero.” “Allegory.” Merriam Webster On-Line Dictionary. webster.com/dictionary/
“Witchhunt.” Merriam Webster On-Line Dictionary. webster.com/dictionary/