The Crucible is a clear representation of the era of McCarthyism. The McCarthyism Era was an era when people around the country were being accused of being Communist spies. This event was led by Senator Joseph McCarthy and Human Un-America Activities Committee (HUAC). Thousands of Americans were being investigated relentlessly and some lost their jobs to this outbreak of hysteria. The Crucible directly related to the events in the McCarthyism Era. For example, the village of Salem in The Crucible is a highly religious Puritan community. In the Puritans belief system, it is thought that the woods are the resting/hiding place of the Devil, thus making the Salem community surrounded by Evil essentially. In the McCarthyism era, it is felt as though the US was in the same situation but instead of the Devil all around them, it was communism. With China in the East and the Soviet Union in most of Europe, it isn’t too hard also fall into this belief that America had been infiltrated by Communist spies. Within the McCarthyism era many Americans were investigated and interrogated by the Government and Private companies. Many of these accusations were made with little to no evidence. In The Crucible one could be prosecuted based off of spectral evidence alone. During the McCarthyism era reporters in the media were too scared to speak out against McCarthy for fear that they too would be accused. Likewise, in The Crucible the town folk were also afraid to speak against the court in
