Question

The Crucible is famous as a political allegory, but what exactly is Miller trying to say? Who do you think is being most criticized in the contemporary analogy?

Answer 1

The Crucible is a play written by Arthur Miller in 1952. This was a time during which the fear for the growth in power of the Soviet Union was spreading in America.

What Miller is trying to say in The Crucible is that he is against condemning others with no legitimate reason. He mainly criticizes the government. At that time, the government was persecuting those that were accused of having Communist ties. The government was trying to stop the spread of Communism and so they resorted to many unjustifiable and illegal actions.

Answer 2

Miller is trying to say through The Crucible that government persecution of suspected communists was wrong.

Senator Joseph McCarthy is being most criticized in The Crucible . He was in power in the 1950's in The U.S. He wanted to finish completely with communist sympathizers. In fact, McCarthy was a senator during the Cold War with The Soviet Union. The Witches of Salem represented the communist. They were encouraged to confess their identity to escape from punishment. McCarthy did something similar to the people who worked in the government and in the entertainment industry.