Symbolism in The Crucible by Arthur Miller

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Symbolism in The Crucible by Arthur Miller Many literary works have been produced that symbolize other periods of time or certain events that have occurred throughout history. One example is the play The Crucible by Arthur Miller. There is little symbolism within The Crucible, however, the play can be seen as symbolic of the paranoia about Communism that pervaded American in the 1950’s. Several similarities exist between Miller’s depiction of the seventeenth-century witch trials and the time of the Red Scare. The House of the Un-American Activities Committee’s rooting of suspected communisms during the Red Scare and the court’s actions in The Crucible are very similar. Both were narrow-minded, displayed excessive enthusiasm and disregard for the individuals that characterized the government’s effort to stamp out a perceived social illness. During the setting of the Red Scare and The Crucible, paranoia was evident and many bad things occurred as a result of its presence. At the time of the Red Scare, many were afraid that communists were trying to take over America. This led the government to make the House of the Un-American Activities Committee, which would seek out communists and stop them from making any attempts of taking over the country. If the committee found anyone guilty of being a communist then they were jailed, or even killed like Ethel and Julius Rosenburg. The paranoia created caused the committee to put hundreds of people on trial that never practice communism at all. The paranoia in The Crucible also led to many terrible events to occur. After Betty and Ruth are struck sick and tired, many conclude that it is due to witchcraft. The notion of witchcraft being present in Salem causes paranoia and people become frightened. Searches are sent out to find these alleged witches and dispose them. The paranoia causes many people to be brought before the court in order for Salem to rid it of these evil witches. If they were found guilty, they were also jailed or killed. In both cases, the paranoia caused many innocent lives to be ruined or lost. The House of the Un-American Activities Committee and Judge Danforth prosecuted and ruined many innocent lives. The paranoia that was present during the Red Scare caused the House of the Un-American Activities Committee to put hundreds of suspected communists on trial.

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