Crucible Act 2 Response

      Arthur Miller's own life as a suspected Communist is reflected greatly in Act 2 or the Crucible. During the time that he wrote the book, he was blacklisted and ostracized, and he is reflecting on his own inner feelings through the struggles of those trying to prove the women innocent. Judge Danforth and Parris are using blatant McCarthyism to convict the "witches" in Salem, a technique that might have also been enlisted on Miller himself. While the Crucible is a true story, characters such as Abigail and Parris seem to be very similar to people in Arthur Miller's experiences during the Cold War, and the reason the book is so realistic is because Arthur draws the malice of the "bad guys" from people he knew that accused him of supporting the Soviet Union. The Crucible was a way for Miller to express his anger and reproach at the U.S. government for treating him like a criminal, though he did nothing.

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