Crucible and Guilty by Suspicion

McCarthyism: The American Witch-Hunts

The fear of communism ran rampant amongst the United States during the late 1940s to 1950s; throughout the nation, the fear of communist spies infiltrating the country caused the Second Red Scare, which was spearheaded by Republican Senator Joseph McCarthy. This phenomenon became so well-publicized that its story has been immortalized in film and literature. Such is the case in Arthur Miller's 1952 play The Crucible and Irwin Winkler's 1991 film Guilty by Suspicion. In both McCarthyism-inspired stories, there is a degree of similarities within their thematic showcases of intolerance, hysteria, and reputation.

Both stories certainly have the underlying idea of intolerance, which is suffused in Miller's and Winkler's works. The authorities in The Crucible did not suffer witches, and those who were against the religious ideas of the community became ostracized and accused. In a poignant scene with Judge Danforth,...
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