Miller's Irony and the Truth about American Witch Hunts

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Silence has pervaded every imaginable recess in the old dilapidated courthouse. A hundred silent onlookers hold their breath in baited anticipation. Suddenly, the dull sound that only wood can make as it slams into an desk echoes for what may as well be all eternity. A single man garners the attention of two hundred eyes as he unintentionally clears his throat. However his lips only are able to take form around one bloodcurdling word: guilty. Although of what crime depends on the time period of the aforementioned case, for trials such as these have occurred in American History not once but twice. The first began back in the 1600's in a little town known as Salem Massachusetts, where people were killed for crimes of witchcraft. The second instance, while not quite as known for bestowing rigor mortis still put ruin on the lives of many. Trials in the 1950's fueled by McCarthyism and the idea that communism was invading the United States led to the blacklisting of many people as supposed socialists. Arthur Miller saw the real story of the trials for supposed unamericans during his time and he set about making it known to the public. However, had miller outright stated his views he would have found himself in the same position as those who's stories he tried to tell. Therefore he devised a creative solution; he wrote a story based on events in the Salem witch trials that is nearly perfectly symbolic of the McCarthyism trials. Miller's extensive [use of] irony in the crucible reveals the actual motives behind events carried out during the Salem witch trials, and thereby he exposes the dark truth of what happened during 1950's McCarthyism trials on Unamerican activities.

Even in the very beginning Miller wastes no time in d...

... middle of paper ...

... in the court goes back to the confession of John proctor. He finally admits to his sin after months of concealing it and then Danforth and the court bluntly say to him “she spoke nothing of lechery, and this man has lied.” (113?) This shows that when an actual bit of truth is presented to the lawmen, they reject it and again side with the liars. The situational irony lies in the fact that when Proctor confesses his sin, the court rejects his confession altogether on only the evidence of his wife's claim. These three examples of irony are perhaps the most important of all in relation to McCarthyism. They reveal that the court itself may represent unfairness in its proceedings. (jr 23?) Miller urges his readers to believe that the judges not only believed liars and rejected the truth, but also that they pushed for the convictions rather than a fair trial.

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