Paranoia In The Crucible

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In order to understand the complexities of The Crucible and the reasoning behind the story, first the historical context behind the story and the instances in which Arthur Miller inspired his writing are critical to understand. The Crucible takes place during the 1600s in Salem, Massachusetts, when paranoia broke out and an immense number of people were tried and killed for witchcraft, frequently by inhumane methods such as hanging or stoning. Although there were “no records of the trials”, believed to have been “lost or deliberately destroyed” (Ray, 2003, 32), the Salem Witch Trials were incredibly significant to the creation of The Crucible due to the implausible amount of distrust and paranoia that built up over this time period as well
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