There is a clear parallel between the events of 1692 in Salem and the political investigation of the 1950's in America

The trials of both McCarthyism and the Salem with-hunts were set in a very similar way. People who were accused of acts in the trials were called before a committee and were asked to name people who had also done such crimes. In both trials this was the only way to prove your innocence and get off with out punishment. In both trials people either confessed or stood firm. There were repercussions of both acts. People who confessed lost their jobs and became social outcasts; in Salem people were outcasts from society and were considered a lower form. Proctor was not willing to confess because of this as he felt his reputation was more important. He cry’s “ because it is my name, and I will have no other like it.”  This shows that he was willing to act out against the trials and was hung because of this. The people accused in both trials were part of a selection. In The Crucible people who were social outcasts and people with no power were accused of being witches and were unable to defend themselves as a result of the trials. In McCarthyism the investigations were also aimed at a certain group of people, such as trade unionists and artists of all kinds. These were people who had some power and people who expressed their views. Eventually more important powers were accused of witchcraft and communist acts. In The Crucible Abigail accuses Rebecca nurse with witchcraft, Rebecca being the kindest and most religious person in Salem and no one would accuse her of witchcraft. Thus proving that the terror and accusations were so large, large powers were accused. In McCarthyism well-respected writers and filmmakers were accused of communist acts. This proves that in both trials people were starting to accuse bigger names and more important people and people believed that these bigger names were guilty such was the hysteria of the trials and the terror people were under. In both trials the accusations were unsupported and had little or no proof that the people were guilty. In The Crucible Abigail were accusing people for releasing spirits, which only she could see or feel. This was the same in the 1950s America trials as people were being accused for even being suspected of such acts with no proof that they have done any communist actions. In both trials bigger names were starting to be accused Abigail tried to Accuse John Hales wife of witch craft, and in 1692 religion was such a big influence it was believed that a wife of a minister could not of been contacted by the devil, this proves that the hysteria was so out of control that bigger names were being tried to see if the accusations could pay off. In McCarthyism McCarthy was trying to accuse bigger names such as Presidents Truman and Eisenhower and people in the army, this again proves that the terror was so out of control even people as important as Truman and the army were being accused of many actions not even thought of in there state of power.

After the end of the hysteria Millar said “ it would probably never have occurred to me to write a play about the Salem witch trials of 1692 had I not seen some astonishing correspondences with that calamity in the America of the late forties and early fifties.” This proves that even 300 years on from the Salem witch-hunts, Millar was still aware of the comparisons that both events had and the effect they had on the surrounding of which the accusations occurred. It shows that he was aware of the parallels between McCarthyism and The Crucible and he was easily able to exploit them in his play. It proves that the events of The Crucible are timeless and can still occur in this modern world were sense and understanding are more shown.

The relevance of the Salem with hunts is still easily seen to this very day. In many modern movies produced there are still aspects of the witch-hunts and the injustice that followed. In the movie Monty Python and the Holy Grail, there is a scene of a witch-hunt and the actions that were taken. In both Monty Python and The Crucible, the accused were people who stood out from society and were people who looked or acted different to other normal people. In Monty Python the women was accused because she looked different to other people. In The Crucible the people who were accused were outcasts and people from a different end of society. In both plays they had no proof that they were witches and there were on logic behind the reasons. They were just accused based on their social status or the fact that they looked different. The logic used to trial the accused had no logic and were just based on what people wanted to hear. In The Crucible they were basing the trials on what people had said and they accusers were mainly young girls who had no idea on what the outcome would be, in Monty Python the trials were based on ways of proving she was a witch such as seeing if she weighed the same as a duck, in both trials the logic used was false and had little or no meaning. In both events the accused had little or no hope of defending themselves as everyone jumped on the bandwagon and were accusing them of being a witch based on every reason they could think of. This proves the stupidity of the townspeople in both cases to actually believe that people could have been witches and that the evidence given was true. The accusations were very quick and it was fast spread. In another movie studied, Mean Girls, one of the girls Georgia is seen as a very strong women much like Abigail in The Crucible. Both girls are very manipulative and aggressive and can exert their dominance and gain control. They both use this power to gain other the support of other girls surrounding them to gain there trust and manipulate them to do the things she wanted them to do. They are both very harsh and abusive towards other people and Abigail uses that to accuse people of being witches where as Georgia uses that to make other people hate certain people. The relevance of The Crucible can also been seen in another way apart from in movies. In general social activities the word witch-hunt is still used and the meaning has not changed from 1692. The term witch-hunt is used to single out a person, whether guilty or not, and accuse them of everything that has gone wrong and place the blame purely on them. In The Crucible this is still the same, as people would blame each other of things, which might have gone wrong and accused them of being witches. Prejudism and injustice are still around today as people are accused of certain crimes based on facts, which are used stereotypically. Some people are accused of stealing things even if they are innocent just based on the fact of were they might come from or their upbringing. People are also accused just because they are outsiders and have no means of defending themselves. This is also seen in The Crucible as people who are social outcasts are accused and arrested with no way to defend themselves and this proves the Prejudism and the injustice people still suffer from even to this day. In The Crucible Abigail asserts a great deal of peer pressure on the other girls surrounding her. She makes them accuse certain people and act in certain ways; she also makes them say certain things and makes them forget other things. In the modern world peer pressure is still around and is used for many different purposes. It could be used for smoking, drinking or doing other things just because your friends are doing it or because another person is forcing you to. The relevance of some of the ways people acted in The Crucible is still seen today and the way certain people act and the way certain situations are dealt with can also be related to those in The Crucible. Another key factor in The Crucible is the power of love. Through out the play there is a love story between John Proctor and Elizabeth Proctor. The way John reacts and acts is mainly influenced by the love he has for Elizabeth and for what he has done in the past. John had an affair with Abigail and the way he acts towards Elizabeth is that of sorrow and wants forgiveness. The way he acts proves that the power of love is a massive thing and that he would do anything for Elizabeth. In the world today the power of love is still as important and such a big influence that it can make people act in certain ways and make people to things just like in The Crucible.

The events of The Crucible are so widely seen and used in this modern world it is hard to disagree with the fact that it is still such a massive part of the world, as we know it. Many witch-hunts and hysteria are still used today and the injustice people face is still widely seen and known around the world. The events and the punishments might be different but the general feel is still the same and the timeless and universal actions which people face today and the striking resemblance to The Crucible just prove that you cannot argue with the way the events in The Crucible affect are lives and the impact they still have to this very day.