Arthur Miller & The Crucible
The realities behind the play
Arthur Miller


Born in 1915 in New York City
Held many jobs as a young man
◦ Truck Driver
◦ Radio Singer
◦ Car Parts Clerk

Graduated from the University of Michigan
Arthur Miller- The Author
The Man Who Had
All the Luck
 All My Sons
 Death of a
Salesman
 A View from the
Bridge
 The Misfits
 After the Fall

Arthur Miller – His Love Life

Married Mary Grace
Slattery in 1940

Married Marilyn
Monroe in 1956

Married Inge Morath
in 1962
Characteristics of Arthur Miller’s Work

Pointed political and social commentary

Voiced his concern through his art

Two most famous works are tragedies
“Politicians are us, which is very dangerous. If they
weren't us, it would be a lot better.”
-Arthur Miller
THE RED SCARE!

The Cold War began shortly after WWII

International “stare down” between America and
the USSR

Little to no actual fighting between the two
countries (hence ….”The Cold War” )

USSR and America become world’s superpowers
◦ Mostly due to nuclear weapons
Mutually Assured Destruction
Reason why the Cold
War remained cold
 Any “hot” war, or
direct conflict, risked
the use of nuclear
weapons

◦ Should nuclear weapons
be used, both countries
would be completely
obliterated

Thus, shadow wars,
spying and indirect
conflict through
proxies
What does this have to do with
a play about witches?
Sen. Joseph McCarthy’s “witch hunt”
One United States senator, Joseph
McCarthy, preyed upon the populace’s
fear of communist infiltration and
subversion
 Led pointed, and biased, trials against
“suspected” communists
 These trials were reactionary by nature

House Committee on Un-American
Activities (HCUA)
HUAC
A special congressional committee
charged with gathering information about
subversive propaganda and people.
 Arthur Miller subpoenaed by HCUA in
1956
 Cited for contempt of Congress because
he would not provide names of other
“communists”

Salem Witch Trials
“So in one sense The Crucible was an attempt to
make life real again, palpable and structured.
One hoped that a work of art might illuminate
the tragic absurdities of an anterior work of art
that was called reality, but was not.”
Arthur Miller to The Guardian/The
Observer; Saturday, June 17, 2000
Salem Witch Trial Facts

19 people executed
(hanged)
◦ 2 dogs executed as
suspected accomplices
5 people died in jail,
awaiting trial or sentencing
 1 person died under
torture

◦ Pressed to death by stones
47 people confessed to
witchcraft
 Over 160 accused of
witchcraft

Salem Witch Trial Facts (cont.)
Most cases began based on spectral
evidence
 Based upon dreams and visions
 Accused “sent” his/her spirit out of the
body to harm or harass accuser

Would you confess?

Claim your
innocence
◦ Possessions taken
and sold
◦ Family left
homeless
◦ No legacy for
offspring
◦ Death by hanging
• Confess
•Name other
witches
• Retain your land
and possessions
•Live (!)
Causes of Witchcraft Hysteria
Honest belief that evil forces were
working in the world
 Ergot poisoning – caused by a fungus
growing on rotting grains – same fungus
from which LSD is derived
 Teenage boredom (most accusations
came from a group of 8 young girls)
 Politics, feuds, and greed

Important Vocabulary
Crucible:
cru·ci·ble [ kr ssəb'l ] (plural cru·ci·bles)
noun Definition:
1. metallurgy container for melting something: a heat-resistant
container in which ores or metals are melted
2. metallurgy bottom of furnace: the hollow part at the bottom
of a furnace where molten metal collects
3. testing circumstances: a place or set of circumstances where
people or things are subjected to forces that test them and often
make them change
4. ordeal: a severe trial or ordeal
Important Vocabulary

al·le·go·ry [ állə gàwree ] (plural
al·le·go·ries)
noun Definition:
1. symbolic work: a work in which the
characters and events are to be understood
as representing other things and symbolically
expressing a deeper, often spiritual, moral, or
political meaning
Important Vocabulary
mo·ti·va·tion [ m
mo·ti·va·tions)
tə váysh'n ] (plural
noun Definition:
1. giving of reason to act: the act of
giving somebody a reason or incentive to
do something
Exit Slip
 What
is the connection
between the Salem Witch
Trials and Senator McCarthy?
 What
are three examples of
suspected witchcraft we
studied today?
Work Cited
Encarta Dictionary. Encarta, Microsoft. Web. 7 Aug. 2009.
<http://encarta.msn.com/dictionary_/crucible%2520.html>.
Ruedin. “Arthur Miller and the Crucible” PowerPoint Presentation
for English III,
<http://www.springfield.k12.il.us/teachers/jruedin/pdfs/2398/Arthur
_Miller_and_The_Crucible_presentation_notes.pdf .> Spring 204