The Tenets of Puritanism

At the core of Puritanism was providence, the idea that God actively governed the entire universe. He controlled everything and made choices to achieve His righteous ends. This extended to man and his free will. Obviously this raised a dilemma: If God governed everything, why did men sin? God did not approve of sinning, but He did not always restrain it. He essentially gave men permission to sin. Perhaps there were higher reasons or forces at work.

Puritans were eager to know God's will. Since He was present in everything to them, they took notice of everything from natural phenomena to personal thoughts, then tried to interpret the signs.

Stemming from providence was predestination, the belief that God already knew who was going to Heaven or Hell. An individual's fate was predetermined; his actions could not change his fate. Acceptance to Heaven was known as regeneration, while the damned experienced reprobation. The argument for this belief was that a mere human could not influence God's will; claiming so was heretical.

Consequently, Puritans were desperate to root out the "chosen" from the damned. Any sin, any misdemeanor, could be a sign of a person's impurity. The notorious strictness of Puritan culture arose from this search; individuals constantly regulated their thoughts and actions, hoping they were one of those God had chosen. Frivolity was indulgent, and it took time away from the holy duty of vocation. Vocation reasoned that, since God gave individuals talents, they were expected to use them to the best of their abilities.

Puritans also had the right to know about the lives of other community members, since it was their duty to purge their Godly community of those slated for Hell.

Also central to the Puritan belief were the many covenants made between God and man. The Covenant of Grace was God's promise to make the elect believe in Christianity. Without the touch of the Holy Spirit, man would continue his sinful ways. (This idea that humans were by nature corrupt was called natural depravity, a result of Adam's original sin.) Once graced, however, men could repent and hopefully be chosen for entry to Heaven.

Clearly, the Puritans believed magic to be the Devil's power; witches sold their souls to the Devil and received magical skills in return.

Why Does the Narrator Discuss Communism in a Play About Witchcraft?

McCarthyism refers to the communist panic that swept the U.S. between the 1940's and '50's. The House of Un-American Activities Committee was founded in 1938 to investigate communist activities; it gained power and notoriety after Senator McCarthy made a speech claiming over 200 federal workers were communist infiltrators. Investigations commenced; authors and those involved in the film industry were particularly hard hit. Because the trials were public, a single unfounded accusation--even if proved false--could ruin a person’s career. If those accused refused to give names of other communists, they were blacklisted. Some fled the country. Others were jailed, such as the Hollywood Ten. Over time, as justice deteriorated, people found it easier to "confess" and give names of people, regardless of whether those listed were truly communist sympathizers or not. This perpetuated the panic, making it seem like the nation was filled with communists.

The Crucible was written in the early 1950's, while McCarthy was in the spotlight. Arthur Miller himself was questioned as a communist; he refused to give names of others, and his career subsequently suffered. Before the trial, he was lauded as a literary genius for Death of a Salesman, but The Crucible ran for a shorter period than his previous work. People immediately saw the parallel between the panic of Salem and the panic of McCarthyism, which was probably partially responsible for its short run. Nonetheless, it has become a classic piece of American literature, widely studied and enjoyed.