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Relate the portrayal of justice and injustice in The Crucible to the

events of the HUAC Congressional Hearings.


The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) was created in 1938
to investigate alleged disloyalty and suspected ties with Communist
parties. Because of their criticisms of Franklin D. Roosevelts the U.S.
president of the time programs, the organisation was very unsuitable to
the political situation of the time. However, in the post-World War II
tension between the U.S. and the Soviet Union during the Cold War, the
committees investigations intensified and they garnered a lot of
popularity and media attention as they utilised the peoples fear and
contempt of Communism. Joseph McCarthy, a Senator from Wisconsin,
instigated public hysteria in American citizens when he spread the word of
an international Communist conspiracy. Communism provoked great fear
amongst American people as it was viewed as a threat to their own
staunch beliefs in capitalism and independent economic production. Many
of the people in high positions were scared by the threat of their wellearned money being directed toward other people, as, for Communism to
work it would require their money being regulated by the government.
The HUACs approach involving threats of imprisonment and innuendo,
and forcing names out of witnesses ruined the reputations of many
citizens. This injustice was recognized by Arthur Miller and The Crucible
was written as a criticism against the trials by using the Salem Witch Trials
to reflect the HUAC Congressional Hearings. Miller wrote the play as a
protest against the actions of the HUAC while avoiding accusations of
being a Communist or a Communist sympathiser. Many writers and artists,
as well as actors and directors were greatly affected by the trials,
however, Miller wasnt involved until years after he wrote The Crucible. In
writing The Crucible, Miller criticised the House Un-American Activities
Committees modus operandi and the injustice demonstrated against
Communists and Communist sympathisers.
In The Crucible, Arthur Millers character Giles Coreys wife Martha is
convicted of witchcraft. Corey goes to the court in order to free her by
giving them evidence that Thomas Putnams accusations were only out of
greed for land and therefore discrediting the accusations that resulted in
the formation of the court and proving the accusation against his wife
untrue. However, this backfires when he refuses to name the person who
gave the evidence, is arrested in contempt of the court and eventually
killed when they try to force it out of him. This event is similar to the way
the HUAC Congressional Hearings were conducted. The Congresss
subpoena power allowed them to force people to appear before it, holding
them in contempt of the Congress if they did not testify. Even by invoking
the First Amendment of freedom of speech or the Fifth Amendment, the
constitutional protection against self-incrimination, those brought before
the Congress were still able to be arrested in contempt. The members of
the Congress operated with the belief that an innocent person would not

avoid answering their questions as they should have nothing incriminating


to hide. Miller uses the character Danforth to reflect the views of a
member of the Congress when he challenges Coreys refusal to name the
witness, as he says No uncorrupted man may fear this court! Arthur
Millers own actions when he was subpoenaed to appear in front of the
Congress were similar to those of The Crucible. After detailing his political
activities, the HUAC demanded the names of Millers friends and
colleagues that participated in similar activities. However, just like Giles
Corey, Miller refused to name anyone. His punishment was significantly
lesser than Giles Coreys, however, as he was sentenced only to a $500
fine or thirty days in prison, blacklisted and disallowed a US passport,
while Corey died for his crime. Miller criticises the unjust cruelty of
ostracising people based on their different opinions.
In the witch trials presented in The Crucible, the accusations against
supposed Communists are based on nothing but the word of other people.
No substantial evidence was used to convict people of being a witch
unless they confess. Similarly, there was no way to properly prove in the
HUAC Congressional Hearings that someone was a Communist. Even if the
convicted confessed, there was the chance they did it out of the pressure
of the hearings and falsely confessed. They are both invisible crimes,
unable to be seen or witnessed except by the instigator and victim. In The
Crucible Abigail Williams and her group of friends are able to convict many
people of being witches out of contempt and, in the case of Elizabeth
Proctor, revenge. Abigail was able to convincingly act and plant evidence
to incriminate other people. Her word, as the victim were the only
evidence used to prove that there were witches. In the HUAC trials people
were able to convince others just by their word that others were
Communists or Communist sympathisers because of the fear of
communism. With the dawning of the Cold War, anti-communists were
concerned that the movie industry could serve as a source of subversive
propaganda. Many screenwriters, directors and other people with
connections to the movie industry were brought before the HUAC on
suspicion of having Communist loyalties. Although the popular movies of
the time offered almost no evidence of supporting communism, the
investigations still went on. Ten of these people, known as the Hollywood
Ten spoke out against the Congress and were blacklisted denied from
employment starting the blacklisting of many others in the movie
industry over the next couple of decades. Miller expresses the opinion that
tenuous evidence is not justly able to prove wrong-doing.
In The Crucible the people that were accused and/or hanged for witchcraft
were innocent. Similarly, in the HUAC Congressional Hearings, many of the
people accused were not communists. However, the way both trials were
run forced many people to co-operate. In The Crucible the trials were
based on social standing. Abigail was able to accuse Tituba because she
had a lower status as a slave and Thomas Putnam was able to accuse

many in the community because of his great wealth. The people believed
that these people were telling the truth because of their higher positions
and many of the accused had to confess to save their lives because they
were unable to properly defend themselves. In the HUAC trials, the
members of the HUAC grilled the accused of their past experiences with
the communist party and the accused, aware that their word would be
used against them to ruin their careers, either cited the Fifth Amendment
or co-operated with the investigators as an incentive for leniency. This is
similar to the convicted witches in The Crucible falsely confessing to
witchcraft and accusing others so they would not hang. Although the
threats against them were different, people in both The Crucible and the
Congressional hearings were pressured to talk against their wish. Miller
criticizes how word taken under pressure is not always truthful, and to use
that as evidence is not just.
Arthur Miller wrote The Crucible to criticise the actions of the HUAC and
protest the unjust way the hearings were executed. He expresses his
disgust at the way the alleged communists were treated and the response
of the American citizens who made the accusations against these people
despite knowing the consequences the accused would face. The events of
the play are reflections of the way the HUAC conducted their hearings,
albeit more melodramatic, and Millers characters represent real people
during the Red Menace. Miller criticises how people are able to put their
own greed before other people, thinking they are just.

Bibliography
History.com Staff. (2009). HUAC. Available: http://www.history.com/topics/coldwar/huac. Last accessed 23 Mar 2015.
Communism - House Un-American Activities Committee. Available:
http://law.jrank.org/pages/5459/Communism-HOUSE-UN-AMERICAN-ACTIVITIESCOMMITTEE.html. Last accessed 23 Mar 2015.
History.com Staff. (2009). Hollywood Ten. Available:
http://www.history.com/topics/cold-war/hollywood-ten. Last accessed 23 Mar 2015.
Fabiform. (2004). Arthur Miller. Available: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arthur_Miller.
Last accessed 23 Mar 2015.
Ted Wilkes. (2005). Hollywood Blacklist. Available:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hollywood_blacklist. Last accessed 23 Mar 2015.

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