In “Why I Wrote The Crucible” (1996), Arthur Miller reflects,
[B]y 1950, when I began to think of writing about the hunt for Reds in America, I was motivated in some great part by the paralysis that had set in among many liberals who, despite their discomfort with the inquisitors’ violations of civil rights, were fearful, and with good reason, of being identified as covert Communists if they should protest too strongly.
Discuss an example of how Miller dramatized this “paralysis…among many liberals” in the play.
In Arthur Miller’s play “The Crucible,” the citizens of Salem Massachusetts are terrorized by a immense hysteria caused by a group of teenage girls that continue to claim that witches walk among the townspeople. Although there is virtually no evidence to back up these claims, the townspeople, out of fear, give in to the girls’ ideology and begin falsely prosecuting and executing supposed “witches.” This situation is the ultimate example of a society crumbling from the inside due to false suspicion and the desire to eliminate the enemy within. This type of cycle is difficult to break because even if a large portion of the population did not believe in the witch hysteria, if they were to speak up, they risk themselves being executed. Salem’s dire situation during the witch trials almost exactly mirrors the concept of McCarthyism and the “Red Scare” within the United States. With McCarthy accusing people of being communists left and right, it was difficult for any liberals to dare contest his outrageous allegations because it would put their own reputations at risk. During the play, Miller emphasizes this “paralysis” in many different ways. However, one way in particular stands out from the rest. Within Abigail’s group consisting of Abby, Betty, Ruth, Mary Warren, and Mercy Lewis, there is in fact a great deal of doubt and internal conflict regarding the validity of their claims and the consequences they have on the community. In fact, without Abigail’s iron grip on the group as their leader, most of the girls would not have contributed to the hysteria at all. However, fear of being exiled from the group and being prosecuted fuels each individual girl to keep the charade going. Essentially, whether it’s fear of being accused as a witch, or the fear of being ostracized from your political party for being a communist, the paralysis that causes people to not take action in accusatory situations is an extremely destructive force in all societies.