Insecurities, narcissism, and egos are common themes woven throughout the history of America. From the original Massachusetts Bay Colony to the McCarthy era in the 1950’s, people are always willing to tell lies and degrade others in order to hide their own insecurities, or further grow their egos. Perhaps the largest scale lie throughout history is that of the Salem Witch Trials during the 1600’s in Salem, Massachusetts, where a group of several teenage girls somehow managed to convince the entire village that Satan was possessing those around them. To prevent this kind of hysteria from being created again during the McCarthy era, Arthur Miller wrote the play, The Crucible. Today, this play is an icon of American literature, widely studied…show more content… One of these instances is during the authorial intrusion at the bottom of page thirteen where Miller gives the backstory of Thomas Putnam. Although this intrusion does provide valuable insight into the character of Putnam, it serves no purpose in conveying the idea of government corruption. Furthermore, Putnam does not play a significant role throughout the play, nor does he have a counterpart during McCarthyism in the United States. If anything, this intrusion distracts from the focus and flow of the play, and gives irrelevant information that distracts the reader from potentially important information. In this case, the intrusion disrupts from the characters’ discussion of witchcraft and the validity of the accusations made about witchcraft early in the play. Another flaw in Miller’s use of authorial intrusions is on page 24 when he discusses Rebecca Nurse and Thomas Putnam. This authorial intrusion jumps from topic to topic like a bee buzzing from flower to flower. The intrusion is unfocused and distracts the reader from the point trying to be conveyed in the scene, which is whether or not witchcraft is to blame for Betty’s sudden…show more content… A common theme throughout The Crucible and the McCarthy era is taking the path of least resistance. In the 1950’s, people would falsely make accusations in order to save themselves and avoid conflict or the risk of conviction. Mary Warren displays this when the girls interrupt her testimony that the accusations are fraudulent with outlandish fits of rage claiming that they were “possessed” by the Devil. By emphasizing the path of least resistance throughout the play, Miller strengthens his warning of what will happen if the citizens allow the country to spiral out of control. If the government allows the McCarthy hearings to continue without disruption, one day anyone attempting to tell the truth will be turned against and forced to lie in order to keep their life. It is also important to note that the character of Giles Corey behaves much like Miller did during his trial for communist activity after writing The Crucible. In the play, Giles absolutely refuses to name any names concerning witchcraft, ultimately resulting in his death when his final words are “more weight”, showing that he rather die truthfully than live with the guilt of making a false accusation about someone else. During his own trial during the McCarthyism hearings, Miller also refused to name names, ultimately resulting in his conviction for contempt for the
