1. Introduction to The Crucible By: Arthur Miller

2. What does “crucible” mean?
a vessel of a very refractory material (as porcelain) used for melting and calcining a substance that requires a high degree of heat
a place or situation in which concentrated forces interact to cause or influence change or development
a severe test

3. Arthur Miller Background
Born in New York City
1915 – 2005
Began writing plays in college
Wrote 19 radio plays, 4 screenplays, & 36 stage plays
Regarded as one of the best 20th century dramatists

4. Arthur Miller Background cont.
His father, Isidore Miller, was a ladies-wear manufacturer & shopkeeper
Was ruined in the depression
This sudden change in fortune had a strong influence on Miller
Studied journalism
entered the University of Michigan in 1934
won awards for playwriting

5. Arthur Miller Background cont.
3 marriages
Married Marilyn Monroe (actress) in 1956
They divorced in 1961

6. Arthur Miller’s successes
1st successes
All My Sons (1947)
Death of a Salesman (1949)
Condemned the American ideal of prosperity
Thought few can pursue it without making dangerous moral compromises
Awards
Tony award for Best Author (twice)
Pulitzer Prize for Drama.

7. The Cold War in America
The US & the USSR emerged as the world’s major powers at the end of WWII
became involved in the Cold War [a state of hostility (short of direct military conflict) between the two nations]
Many Americans feared Communism around the world & even disloyalty at home
Suspicion about Communist infiltration of the government
A lot of Americans thought the Soviets got the atomic bomb by using spies.
People thought that secret agents had stolen our secrets & gave them to the enemy
these spies were actually often average American citizens [not Russian spies]

8. Joseph McCarthy (Senator of Wisconsin)
Gained power by accusing others of subversion
Claimed to have a list of 205 Communists who worked in the State Department (in 1950)
unsupported accusations but helped him win a national following
a Senate committee labeled them “a fraud and a hoax”
Branded the Democrats as a party of treason
Denounced his political foes as “soft on Communism”
Called Truman’s secretary of state, Dean Acheson, the “Red Dean”

9. McCarthyism September 1950
Congress passed the McCarran Internal Security Act
goaded (provoked/incited) by McCarthy
established a Subversive Activities Control Board to monitor Communist influence in the United States
“McCarthyism” came to mean false charges of disloyalty

10. End of McCarthy’s career
McCarthy’s influence continued until 1954
Senate censured him for abusing his colleagues.
His career collapsed
Fears of subversion continued
Communities banned books
teachers, academics, civil servants, and entertainers lost jobs
unwarranted attacks ruined lives

11. HUAC = House Un-American Activities Committee
Sought to expose Communist influence in American life
Created in 1938
Congress wanted to investigate suspicions of disloyalty
Called witnesses & investigated the entertainment industry
Result of the HUAC investigations: the entertainment industry blacklisted/refused to hire artists & writers suspected of being Communists
Over 300 people, including Arthur Miller

12. 3 options of the accused
Could claim they were not and never had been members of the Communist Party
this would have meant perjuring themselves
Could admit or claim membership & then be forced to name other members
this would have meant losing their jobs both because of their former membership and their dubious position as informers
could refuse to answer any questions
what the Hollywood 10 did

13. Huac in Hollywood
Prominent film directors and screenwriters who refused to cooperate were imprisoned on contempt charges
Some, including film director Elia Kazan, testified for the committee to avoid prison sentences
The Hollywood Ten, a group of entertainers, refused to testify/answer any questions
were convicted of contempt
sentenced to up to one year in prison

14. Miller’s involvement
He admitted to the HUAC that he had attended meetings, but denied that he was a Communist
Had attended, among others, 4 or 5 writers’ meetings sponsored by the Communist Party in 1947
Had supported a Peace Conference at the Waldorf-Astoria in NY
Had signed many appeals and protests.
He refused to name others who had associated with leftist or suspected Communist groups
Was cited for contempt of Congress

15. Why miller wrote the crucible
Response to McCarthyism
It’s not simply a straight historical
play detailing the Salem witch trials
A lot of the information in the play misrepresents the literal events of the trial
example: at the time of the trial, John Proctor was 60 old & Abigail Williams only 11
The play is a parable for the McCarthy era
similar “witch hunts” occurred targeting citizens as communists, rather than disciples of the devil