Writers can use literature as a vehicle for social criticism. How does Arthur Miller criticize society? The Crucible by Arthur Miller is a play first performed in 1953 in the United States of America, amidst the persecution of so-called communists during the era of McCarthyism. Although the play is explicitly addressed to the Salem hunters, many find the play to be an analogy to McCarthyism because of the striking similarities in which the people behaved. Miller highlights the different groups of characters in order to reveal the underlying ideas of the play such as: self-preservation, power, and hypocrisy. Self-preservation is an underlying idea throughout the plot of The Crucible. In witch-hunting society, the only way to avoid being wrongly blamed for nonexistent crimes was to pretend that others (usually a smaller group of individuals) were to blame when they forced the accused of committing acts. This led to an era of false accusations, much like during McCarthyism, where someone's reputation was easily diminished. Miller introduces self-preservation into Abigail's response to harsh questioning. Abigail realizes how wrong she was in her actions in the past and sees that she will be in trouble; so, she quickly changes position, shouting “She made me do it, she made Betty do it” (43). This is a great example of how people in societies governed or manifested by hypocrisy are able to deflect blame, as they can easily, without just complaint, blame others for their own wrongs. Following Tituba's accusation of being a witch, Parris (her master) repeatedly shouts at her "Their names, their name!" » (47) in order to erase Tituba's affiliation with witchcraft, such as her confessions and ...... in the middle of the article ......l, Miller attempts to criticize societies ruled by l hypocrisy as they open the door for many to achieve previously unattainable levels of power and are able to commit a crime without paying for it by taking all the blame. on someone else on false accusations. Miller's The Crucible does an excellent job of reflecting not only society in its direct setting of Salem, but also other societies such as American society during McCarthyism. Miller, although accused of being a communist, is able to convey his view that hypocrisy is a dangerous but extremely famous tool that societies sometimes turn to to achieve near-anarchy where the survival of people rests on their ability to blame. the others. "I lie and I promise to lie! How can I live without my name? I gave you my soul; leave me my name!" (Miller 133)