But Arthur Miller intended to use the Salem Witch Trials as an allegory for the anti-communist Red Scare and the congressional hearings of Senator Joseph McCarthy going on in the United States in 1953, when the play was first performed. Sure, on the surface this play appears to be totally about the Salem Witch Trials. This play is a commentary on the claustrophobic Puritanical-code-of-conduct-fear-of-witches nonsense of Massachusetts in the 17th century and a commentary on the claustrophobic, girdles-white-picket-fences-fear-of-Communists nonsense of America in the late 1940's and 1950's. Yep-Arthur Miller's The Crucible gives us a parable that spans centuries. If, on the other hand, the first image that popped into your head was of Salem's Anne Hale-bingo, you're 100% correct. If the first image that popped into your head was of Mad Men's Betty Draper-bingo, you're 100% correct. Think mass hysteria that makes entire communities suspicious and paranoid. Imagine a super-constrictive time in history.
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