Quotes Referring to Salem and/or the McCarthy Era

1. Intolerance

“[. . . In] America any man who is not reactionary in his views is open to charge of alliance with the Red hell” (34).

The narrator makes this comment in the first act while explaining the theocratic nature of Salem's society. Like in Salem, where heresy was punishable by banishment or death, lack of ardent patriotism in America immediately aroused suspicion of communism. When people were being accused with no evidence to back the claim, even the slightest show of discontent was a risk. Here, Miller comments on this situation, pointing out that fear spawns intolerance.

2. Self-preservation perpetrating panic

HALL. You [Tituba] must give us all their names (47).

ELIZABETH. The Deputy Governor promise hangin' if they'll not confess, John. The town's gone wild, I think (52).

Both quotes illustrate the real motivations behind the continued hysteria in The Crucible. Desperate to prove their own goodness, Tituba and others give the names of "witches" and "devil-worshippers." That the accusations are completely unfounded is irrelevant; it seems the entire colony is infiltrated with the Devil's agents, which only increases the population's panic. The second quote, spoken by Elizabeth, explains why many confess to witchcraft: if they repent their sins, at least they will live.

The language suggests the McCarthy period as much as the historical witch hunts; giving names was often a requirement for proving that the accused was no longer a communist sympathizer. Many were threatened with jail if they did name other conspirators; naturally many gave completely innocent names to save their own skins.

3. Power

ELIZABETH. She [the town] speak of Abigail, and I thought she were a saint, to hear her. Abigail bring the other girls into the court, and where she walks the crowd will part like the sea for Israel. And folks are brought before them, and [. . .] clapped in the jail for bewitchin' them (53).

In the play, part of Abigail's motivation stems from her frustration as a member of the lowest social class. She is an orphan and a young, unmarried woman. She briefly worked as a servant but was fired; she claims Elizabeth wanted to treat her like a slave. Now, suddenly, she literally has the power of life or death over the town. She need only fake a fit, and the person being question is declared guilty. This want of power, some historians believe, is what motivated the real girls in the witch trials, and this thirst for power is paralleled in McCarthy's demagogy.

4. Martyrdom

PROCTOR. They think to go like saints. I like not to spoil their names (141).

In the historical Salem, nineteen people were executed as a result of the witch trials. If they were given the option of confession, why did they die? As Proctor points out, refusing to succumb to the threats and scares gave the convicted a sense of pride. They would not falsely confess, even if it meant death, because they personally knew they would go to Heaven. As martyrs, the accused felt they rose above the court's injustice. The girls would surely burn for their lies, but the convicted could claim honesty.