There is Nothing to Fear but Fear Itself
Fear is defined as a strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, the characters experience constant and irrational accusations of witchcraft in their Puritan society. Through The Crucible, Miller creates an allegory, comparing the Salem witch trials to the Red Scare, emphasizing the downfalls of mass hysteria. During the Red Scare, the fear of communism in America swayed people to support Joseph McCarthy in the hunt for communists spies. As seen historically in the Salem witch trials and the Red Scare, the most powerful entity in society is not an individual, but rather an abstract concept that rules and disrupts society: fear. In The Crucible, the townspeople's fear of social stigma and persecution influences them into perpetuating the witch trials. Likewise, the Red Scare illustrates how fear destroys a society by overriding morals and logic. In The Crucible, the fear of social stigma and persecution serves as the characters’ primary motivation. Abigail, a bold and witty eighteen year old, is on the verge of being declared a witch due to her involvement in Betty’s “sickness”. Willing to evade the predicament at all costs, Abigail betrays Tituba and proclaims her the witch who “makes [Abigail] laugh at prayer” (Miller 44). Abigail suggests that there are supernatural powers that Tituba contains that exert influence over the everyday lives of mortals, making Abigail “laugh” against her will. Without any proof, Abigail decided to accuse Tituba of witchcraft in order to be saved from the prosecution. Furthermore, Parris, the preacher of the town with a past in business, refuses all claims of witchcraft being the cause of Betty, his daughter’s, unconsciousness. Parris begs Putnam not to explore the possibility of witchcraft being involved on the grounds that Parris would be “howl[ed] out of Salem for such corruption in [his] house” (14). This excerpt exhibits the lack of remorse Parris feels for the fate of his daughter and his fear that the claim of witchcraft will have a negative effect on his job due to social stigma surrounding those involved in witchcraft. By using “howl” to describe the action of the town to oust Parris of …show more content…
Individuals indicted of being members of the communist party had the opportunity to lessen their sentence by contributing the name of another “communist” they knew. In a particular case, “David and Ruth Greenglass testified that the Rosenbergs had recruited them as accomplices… to transmit secrets of the atomic bomb to Russia during the Second World War”. The Rosenbergs, the brother and sister in law of David Greenglass, denied all charges but were still sent to the electrical chair. This situation illustrates the family values of the Greenglasses contradicted by their fear of enduring the entire punishment for being communist. It also underscores the illogical and unjust ruling of the court to execute an innocent couple due to the wild yet frightening accusation. Additionally, during the Red Scare, government workers were particularly under scrutinization due to the fear that of a communist in the U.S. government. The paranoia of this possibility resulted in thousands of investigations, dismissals, and resignations. None of the attempts at revealing government official communists “turn[ed] up a genuine spy or saboteur- the dismissals were for being a ‘security risk’”. Hysteria and paranoia result in senseless and unethical actions around a fear factor such as
Fear is defined as a strong emotion caused by anticipation or awareness of danger. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible, the characters experience constant and irrational accusations of witchcraft in their Puritan society. Through The Crucible, Miller creates an allegory, comparing the Salem witch trials to the Red Scare, emphasizing the downfalls of mass hysteria. During the Red Scare, the fear of communism in America swayed people to support Joseph McCarthy in the hunt for communists spies. As seen historically in the Salem witch trials and the Red Scare, the most powerful entity in society is not an individual, but rather an abstract concept that rules and disrupts society: fear. In The Crucible, the townspeople's fear of social stigma and persecution influences them into perpetuating the witch trials. Likewise, the Red Scare illustrates how fear destroys a society by overriding morals and logic. In The Crucible, the fear of social stigma and persecution serves as the characters’ primary motivation. Abigail, a bold and witty eighteen year old, is on the verge of being declared a witch due to her involvement in Betty’s “sickness”. Willing to evade the predicament at all costs, Abigail betrays Tituba and proclaims her the witch who “makes [Abigail] laugh at prayer” (Miller 44). Abigail suggests that there are supernatural powers that Tituba contains that exert influence over the everyday lives of mortals, making Abigail “laugh” against her will. Without any proof, Abigail decided to accuse Tituba of witchcraft in order to be saved from the prosecution. Furthermore, Parris, the preacher of the town with a past in business, refuses all claims of witchcraft being the cause of Betty, his daughter’s, unconsciousness. Parris begs Putnam not to explore the possibility of witchcraft being involved on the grounds that Parris would be “howl[ed] out of Salem for such corruption in [his] house” (14). This excerpt exhibits the lack of remorse Parris feels for the fate of his daughter and his fear that the claim of witchcraft will have a negative effect on his job due to social stigma surrounding those involved in witchcraft. By using “howl” to describe the action of the town to oust Parris of …show more content…
Individuals indicted of being members of the communist party had the opportunity to lessen their sentence by contributing the name of another “communist” they knew. In a particular case, “David and Ruth Greenglass testified that the Rosenbergs had recruited them as accomplices… to transmit secrets of the atomic bomb to Russia during the Second World War”. The Rosenbergs, the brother and sister in law of David Greenglass, denied all charges but were still sent to the electrical chair. This situation illustrates the family values of the Greenglasses contradicted by their fear of enduring the entire punishment for being communist. It also underscores the illogical and unjust ruling of the court to execute an innocent couple due to the wild yet frightening accusation. Additionally, during the Red Scare, government workers were particularly under scrutinization due to the fear that of a communist in the U.S. government. The paranoia of this possibility resulted in thousands of investigations, dismissals, and resignations. None of the attempts at revealing government official communists “turn[ed] up a genuine spy or saboteur- the dismissals were for being a ‘security risk’”. Hysteria and paranoia result in senseless and unethical actions around a fear factor such as