Mass Hysteria and Paranoia in the Crucible

The plot of The Crucible takes place in a strict religious community where scientific explanations do not exist. When one of the young girls in the village becomes ill and strangely possessed, the townspeople suspect witchcraft. The elders of the community use their authority to coax confessions of witchcraft out of the girls involved under the condition of immunity from persecution. The leader of the confessors is Abigail, who uses her immunity to accuse her former lover's wife of witchcraft.

The parallels between The Crucible and the Red Scare of the 1950's bring light to the unconstitutional lawlessness committed by Senator Joseph McCarthy. The House of Un-American Activities Commission (HUAC) led by Senator McCarthy, was a committee designed to identify and persecute Americans who were members of the communist party. Arthur Miller himself was called before HUAC and testified. In fact, his role in the Red Scare contributed to Miller's indignation about being condemned for crimes never committed. Arthur Miller's purpose in writing The Crucible is to demonstrate how the mass hysteria during the Salem witch-hunts directly correlates with the Red Scare of the 1950's.