Topic > The Crucible as an allegory of McCarthyism

Fear is an emotion that every human being experiences, it is practically inevitable. The varying intensity of this emotion can cause people to act or react in ways that may be unusual. A famous man once said, “There is nothing to fear but fear itself” (Franklin D. Roosevelt). When it comes to McCarthyism and Aurthur Miller's The Crucible, this is true. Despite the obvious differences between the series of events and the people involved in Aurthur Miller's The Crucible and the Red Scare, Miller's work alludes to the concept of McCarthyism by acknowledging the hesitation to challenge authority and the promotion of widespread fear, making his work an allegory. .Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get Original Essay McCarthyism played a negative role in the society of the 1950s and had a negative impact on the lives of many innocent people. During this time, very few people were willing to stand up and challenge McCarthy and his charges: "No one dared cross McCarthy." People feared that going against McCarthy would lead to them being marked as disloyal and suspected of supporting communism. Supporting communism was highly frowned upon and ultimately meant being against the US government. People suspected of supporting communism were often arrested and brought in for investigation. Most of them have had their reputations smeared, their businesses ruined and their careers destroyed. The same fate befell sympathizers and associates of people suspected of communism. Many of the accused lost friends and were abandoned by their families because just associating with a "suspected communist" could have gotten them into big trouble and ruined their lives. In Aurthur Miller's The Crucible, the same is true. To be accused or suspected of witchcraft meant being arrested and interrogated. When the list of names to save the wives was brought to him, Danforth ordered that everyone on the list be arrested claiming that "a person is either with this court or he is to be charged with it, there is no way in between." . The list was signed by ninety-one people in an attempt to prove that Elizabeth, Rebecca and Martha Corey were innocent. But just like McCarthy, Danforth felt that these people were going against him by sympathizing with women. Today, most people still fear "going against the grain." From teenagers who break the rules just to look cool in front of their peers, to adults at work who maintain silence about new policies despite their disagreements. This is one of the ways McCarthyism was born. The Red Scare, which occurred due to the growing communist issue and McCarthyism, caused widespread fear among the people of the United States. People feared the idea of ​​communism taking over after the conviction of two spies. Julis Rosenberg and his wife Ethel were convicted of espionage and providing classified information about the United States to the Soviets, and Ari Cushner goes on to say that "the high-profile convictions of some suspected spies fueled a frenzy among many who 'saw communists' everywhere," ( Cold War/Red Scare). In 1950 McCarthy claimed to have a list of 205 suspected communists. The list was later proven to be made up, meaning it didn't even have a list. And after witnessing the execution of two real spies, the thought of being on the list instilled fear in people's hearts and they began accusing anyone they could, including neighbors and colleagues, in an attempt to appear loyal. Aurthur Miller's The Crucible had similar aspects. Please note: this is just an example. Get an item now-2/.