![]() Miller exploits the flaws of McCarthyism in which individuals can take advantage of the hysteria, through the characterisation of Abigail Williams as a manipulative opportunist shown by the aggressive tone, “I will come to you in the black of some terrible night and bring a pointy reckoning”. Miller reflects upon the actions of Senator McCarthy, who promoted social harmony as a façade for the real purpose of social exclusion and the personal desire for power, which caused fear of communism pervasive in American society as relinquishment of moral integrity heightened. ![]() ![]() Miller criticises the corruption of power during the McCarthy era through the political injustice present in The Crucible, represented in the abuse of fear to create mass hysteria and irrationality within Salem in order to encourage the audience to remain vigilant against social disintegration. Through his depiction of oppressive authority in Salem, Miller parallels the ideas to his own context of McCarthyism to inform audiences on the oppressive nature of political concerns. Danforth’s characterisation mirrors Senator McCarthy in his abuse of power, where Miller aims to warn audiences of the events of oppression yet to come within his society. The inevitable conformity to power is portrayed through the hyperbole in “I should hang ten thousand that dare to rise against the law and ocean of salt tears”. By mirroring McCarthyism to The Crucible, Miller depicts the impact domination of private lives by political and legal scrutiny has on individuals within society within the simile “as though he comes into court ” where Proctor is forced to conform to political powers. This mirrors the era of McCarthyism as it represents natural justice as corrupted by ideological absolutism, where Danforth seeks to divert attention away from the failures of the system. The oppression of volition is contextually paralleled to the theocratic system in The Crucible, as seen through the high modality within “a person is either with the court or he must be counted against it, there be no road between”. Through the deliberate interweaving public and private scenes, Miller heightens dramatic tension by positioning the audience to realise the immersion of individuals within the political sphere, and their vulnerability to private interests. Miller creates dramatic irony throughout the play by showing the innocence of John Proctor, thus criticising the loss of justice within the theocracy of Salem, an allegory to his context of McCarthyism. Miller’s theatrical allegory of the Salem Witch trials to the McCarthy communist hunts in 1950s America, delivers his criticism of the government’s exploitation of individuals’ fear and intolerance towards communism to make audience aware of corrupt nature of political powers. In representing a polarised Salem sustained by collective hysteria, Miller condemns an oppressive authority in its endorsement of an individual’s wrongful manipulation of politics for their own personal interests. Miller’s representation of conflict as a human experience is a powerful technique as it positions the audience to see the value of individuality, and encourages responders to value their innate capacity for individuals agency with the rejection of political apathy. Miller represents conflict as something that is conducted by individuals to maintain reputation and gain power in a theocratic society of Salem by spreading out mass hysteria. ![]() Arthur Miller’s allegorical play The Crucible (1953) draws chilling parallels between the destructive nature of fear from McCarthyism in the 1950s America and the mass hysteria of the 16th century Salem Witch Trials, exposing conflicting ideologies through the manipulation of ungrounded fear within a threatened community. The representation of conflict between individuals within society as a human experience is a powerful technique used by playwrights to engage audiences, by offering a new perspective on the dangers of corrupt political systems encouraging responders to take action against corruption.
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