Salem has a lot to say about life three hundred years on. The underlying theme of 'The Crucible' is still true today. Witch-hunt. Even today if a serious crime is committed people jump to conclusions and look for the odd one out as a scapegoat. I will examine some examples of these.
The Coldwar is one of the best examples of this but to understand why I will look at the cause of the coldwar. The coldwar was a war without direct fighting between the two superpowers of the world the USA and the USSR. The two countries were ideological enemies each believing their system of government and their way of life was the best and only way. The USA was a democracy and held free democratic elections. The USSR was a communist state it was a one party dictatorship. In the USA business and property were owned privately. In the USSR the state controlled business and property. The USA was the world's wealthiest country. But there was great poverty as well as great wealth. The USSR was an economic superpower also. However the general standard of living was lower in the USSR than in the USA. Even so unemployment and poverty were lower in the USSR than in the USA. For Americans being free and having rights was more important than everyone being equal. For communists however the rights of the individual were less important than the good of society as a whole. So peoples lives were tightly controlled. These factors kept the world on edge and on the brink of nuclear war for more than forty years. The pilgrims in Salam were like the communists in Soviet Russia. The church tightly controlled the lives of the people in Salam and everything was done for the good of the church (God) and the town.
Joseph, McCarthy was born in 1908 and died in 1957. He was a U.S.A senator from Wisconsin (1947-57). He achieved national fame and power with his sensational and unsubstantiated accusations against those U.S. officials (frequently in high positions) he termed card carrying Communists. After the Senate condemned him (1954), his influence steadily declined. After this the word McCarthyism has become synonymous with the practice of publicising accusations of treason and disloyalty with insufficient evidence. However some people did admit to it when they had been accused, but there was no substantial evidence. This is because they could no longer take the pressure and stress. This is like in 'The Crucible' where John Proctor can no longer take the accusations and says, "God is dead". I believe he says this as he can no longer take the stress of the witch trials and does not care to much for his own life when it comes to saving his wife.
The Coldwar is one of the best examples of this but to understand why I will look at the cause of the coldwar. The coldwar was a war without direct fighting between the two superpowers of the world the USA and the USSR. The two countries were ideological enemies each believing their system of government and their way of life was the best and only way. The USA was a democracy and held free democratic elections. The USSR was a communist state it was a one party dictatorship. In the USA business and property were owned privately. In the USSR the state controlled business and property. The USA was the world's wealthiest country. But there was great poverty as well as great wealth. The USSR was an economic superpower also. However the general standard of living was lower in the USSR than in the USA. Even so unemployment and poverty were lower in the USSR than in the USA. For Americans being free and having rights was more important than everyone being equal. For communists however the rights of the individual were less important than the good of society as a whole. So peoples lives were tightly controlled. These factors kept the world on edge and on the brink of nuclear war for more than forty years. The pilgrims in Salam were like the communists in Soviet Russia. The church tightly controlled the lives of the people in Salam and everything was done for the good of the church (God) and the town.
Joseph, McCarthy was born in 1908 and died in 1957. He was a U.S.A senator from Wisconsin (1947-57). He achieved national fame and power with his sensational and unsubstantiated accusations against those U.S. officials (frequently in high positions) he termed card carrying Communists. After the Senate condemned him (1954), his influence steadily declined. After this the word McCarthyism has become synonymous with the practice of publicising accusations of treason and disloyalty with insufficient evidence. However some people did admit to it when they had been accused, but there was no substantial evidence. This is because they could no longer take the pressure and stress. This is like in 'The Crucible' where John Proctor can no longer take the accusations and says, "God is dead". I believe he says this as he can no longer take the stress of the witch trials and does not care to much for his own life when it comes to saving his wife.
