from Austria-Hungary, ran a small coat-manufacturing business. Notable Quote: 'Well, all the plays that I was trying to write were plays that would grab an audience by the throat and not release them, rather than presenting an emotion which you could observe and walk away from.'Īrthur Miller was born on October 17, 1915, in Harlem, New York to a family with Polish and Jewish roots.Children: Jane Ellen, Robert, Rebecca, Daniel.Spouse(s): Mary Slattery, Marilyn Monroe, Inge Morath.Awards and Honors: Pulitzer Prize, two New York Drama Critics Circle Awards, two Emmy Awards, three Tony Awards.Produced Works: All My Sons, Death of a Salesman, The Crucible, A View From the Bridge.Parents: Isidore Miller, Augusta Barnett Miller.

Known For: Award-winning American playwright.

The Crucible shows us the power of literature, saying so much in a few words. McCarthyism can be taken as an example of how history repeats itself. ▶ In the Crucible, people first pointed fingers at “outsiders” for practicing witchcraft, whereas in McCarthyism, the communists who were insiders, i.e., part of the entertainment industry and had an exposure to a large number of people, were accused.ĭifferences or not, The Crucible had shown a mirror to McCarthyism when the story was published. On the other hand, in McCarthyism, no communist or communist supporter was killed.

▶ During the Salem witch trials, the accused were hung to death.

However, these trials seemed to have the undercurrents of politics, religion, and family feuds. In the Salem witch trials as shown in The Crucible, the fight was against the evil forces like witches. ▶ The only purpose of the McCarthy hearings was to uproot the communist sympathizers. There are a few differences in McCarthyism and The Crucible, too. In The Crucible as well, the accused named others to save themselves from execution. It would pardon them from the punishment. ▶ McCarthyism encouraged the accused to name the other communist supporters. Once accused of witchcraft, the suspect could not escape the trial. In The Crucible, like in McCarthyism, the suspects had no help. The suspect had to face the questions and defend his side without any help. ▶ During the trial, McCarthyism wouldn’t offer a lawyer to the accused. As victims supposedly get affected by the supernatural, there were no other ways to prove the crimes than believing the victims. In The Crucible, the claim of victims are served as proofs to arrest the suspects. Many times, the accused would not know who has named him/her or for what crime he/she was arrested. People were named, arrested, and trialed. ▶ The phenomenon McCarthyism can be defined as accusations made with little or no support of solid evidences.

Arthur miller and the crucible