"The Crucible" by Arthur Miller is a play written in the early 1950s and set during the time of the Salem Witch Trials during the 1580s. The play centers on events leading up to that historic trial that led to the death of innocent people who were falsely accused of witchcraft. The story also recounts how the power of coercion can make people say things about others in order to save their own lives. It also shows that sometimes self-preservation can lead to a person's downfall.

Miller writes this play in the midst of the McCarthyism era, when the U.S. government is trying to expose communist activities in the United States. The Red Scare goes beyond the government, as everyday individuals question anyone who is not wholly devoted to patriotism. In order to expose groups involved in communism, the government creates the House Committee on Un-American Activities. The committee extends its hand into the world of American artists, including Hollywood writers and actors. The events in "The Crucible" serve as a symbol for that turbulent time in American history.

During the 1940s and 1950s, any activities that were viewed as strange or dissident toward the government were considered communistic. This parallels the work of Miller. In "The Crucible," Betty Parris-the daughter of a local preacher and another local girl get sick after dancing and chanting around a fire with the Parris's slave. They assume the girls' mysterious illnesses are due to witchcraft encroaching upon the community. In the 1950s, the government starts looking for communist propaganda where there is none, like in movies and songs.

The government sets up the committee to investigate these strange activities, even recording group meeting that they think are supporting communism. This committee is headed by a bulldog investigator, U.S. Senator Joseph McCarthy. McCarthy is comparable to the Reverend John Hale, who is considered an authority on witchcraft. He conducts an investigation of Abigail Williams, the leader of the girls. This is similar to the senator, who finds the people who he thinks are the leaders or can direct him to the people in power.

In a search for people involved in communist activities, the committee threatens the people they call before them. The committee says they just want people to name names and, by doing this, they will be left alone. Some people sacrifice themselves to protect their friends. Additionally, an air of mistrust among people erupts and breaks up friendships in the process. In the play, Abigail threatens her former lover and others in the community name individuals at all levels in the community. Innocent people die when it is all over. Arthur Miller is even called before the committee and asked to implicate people he knows. He refuses, and his friendship with director Elia Kazan is estranged when Kazan names names.

Though there are no symbols in the traditional sense of the word, the witch hunt in Salem is emblematic of the McCarthy witch hunt of the 1950s.

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