Essay on The Witch Hearings in The Crucible by Arthur Miller

The Witch Hearings in The Crucible by Arthur Miller There are strong parallels between Arthur Millers The Crucible and the history it depicts and the reign of terror that the 1950s era of McCarthyism repeated. These two historical events are linked by several commonalities: a lack of intelligent discussion, public hysteria, threats, fear and finally, the presumption of guilt rather than innocence. Miller convincingly uses fiction and dialogue to recreate a very real moment in history, which due to the timing of the plays release may also have been purposely created as a response to the actions of Joseph McCarthy. Joe McCarthy defiantly states, I have in my hand a list of 205 cases of individuals who appear to be either carrying†¦show more content†¦The tone of these remarks is strikingly lighthearted considering that the punishment for this invisible crime is death. The word hope implies, with a bit of sarcasm, that it would be much easier for all concerned if the witches would just come forward and admit they are evil. S ince this is impossible it is the responsibility of the good citizens of Salem to do it for them! Danforth refuses to pardon the prisoners or postpone their executions because he sincerely believes in their guilt. He does not want to cast doubt on the justification of the hangings of twelve previous condemned and the sentence of hanging for the seven remaining prisoners. It would not be fair to the twelve already hanged if the seven remaining prisoners were pardoned. Basically, Danforth is saying that in order to be fair to twelve unfairly hanged people, seven more have to confess to crimes they did not commit or die for them. Throughout history there are many examples where fear and hysteria pervade and wrongs are committed against innocent people. The most obvious is the idea of guilt by association, which is clearly evident in both the play and the hearings. Joseph McCarthy was a tormenter. Hundreds of innocent men and women had their lives destroyed due to his greed. Mu ch of the suffering he directlyShow MoreRelatedI’m Not a Witch†¦ or a Communist! I Plead the 5th! Essay1089 Words   |  5 Pagesoccurred during the Salem witch trials in 1692. During this time period, it was thought that witches were infiltrating the religious Puritan societies. The suspicion of witchcraft in Salem caused hysteria among the townspeople, which lead to the destruction of many good Christian people and their families. Arthur Miller, who was arrested during the McCarthy era, wrote The Crucible, a play about the 1692 Salem witch trials, to expose the absurdities of McCarthy’s â€Å"witch hunt†. 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