"The Crucible" is arguably one of the greatest written works in American history, and Arthur Miller one of the bravest, admirable men of the 20th century. Miller wrote the play in response to what has become known as "McCarthyism".

The Crucible is set in the 1600's in Salem, Massachusetts. It follows, from beginning to end, the story of the Salem witch trials, and the people involved. The book is an amazing mirror to the situation in the U.S. at the time. Joseph McCarthy, a newly elected senator, had been labeling many members of the government, citizens of Hollywood, actors, writers and the like of being communists.

Against the constitution and everything this country stands for, the so-called communists were put on trial simply for being suspected of being communist. No, it is not against the law to be communist. If a person suspected of being a communist denied the charges, they were often considered liars and imprisoned with no proof. Often, a person merely accused of being a communist would lose their reputation, their friends, even their job.

The Crucible is a hard play to watch, and a hard play to sit through; not because it is not a good play. In fact, quite the contrary. It is a hard play to sit through because it is so believable, and so well-done, that an audience member's desire is to get up on stage and stop the madness from happening.

Perhaps the scariest part of The Crucible is in it's truth. The Salem witch trials really did happen, and McCarthyism really did happen, and things like those could happen again. In both scenarios, evidence was open to interpretation, what such and such could mean, and one of the significant themes in The Crucible is that evidence, in order to be counted as evidence, must be objective, and taken at face value.

Fear is a powerful motivator for much of human behavior, and the poor victims of both the Salem Witch Trials and McCarthyism were put in a position where fear ruled them. If they did not confess, they were hung, if they confessed, their names and lives were forever tarnished. The only escape was to submit names in place of yours. Many took this route. However, the tragic hero in The Crucible, John Proctor, does not submit. Rather than confess and live, he keeps his honor and is hung. Proctor was one of the most respected men in the community, and when he refused to confess a false confession, and was hung, the rest of the town began to see their own folly, and the witch trials came to an end.

All can take a sad lesson from The Crucible, and all would do well to. If we do not have a knowledge of the mistakes of the past, how can we expect to not repeat them?

Learn more about this author, Cameron Porter.
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