About This Lesson
Arthur Miller was writing The Crucible to highlight the injustice of hunt for communist by Senator Joseph McCarthy. His use of actual historical figures to highlight current administrative efforts to root out communism at the risk of justice. While Miller heightens the tensions and builds the anticipation in the play by changing certain historical facts, there are several differences between Miller’s play and actual historical documents. Understanding the historical facts can open up discussion for Arthur’s artistic purposes and the message he was sending with The Crucible.
