The Dual Context: Salem & The Red Scare
Arthur Miller wrote the play in 1953. To get top marks in your exam, you must understand that the play has a Dual Context. It is set during the real historical events of the 1692 Salem Witch Trials, but Miller used it as a metaphor (an allegory) to criticize the anti-Communist paranoia sweeping America during his own lifetime.
Click the buttons below to see how the events of 1692 perfectly mirror the events of the 1950s.
In Puritan Salem, the Devil is treated as a literal, physical threat. Witchcraft is an "invisible crime" with no physical evidence. If an accuser (like Abigail) points a finger, the court believes them without proof, creating mass hysteria.
Salem is a Theocracy (run by religious leaders). There is no separation between church and state. Dancing, playing games, and reading secular books are forbidden. This strict repression causes the girls to rebel in the forest.
If you are accused of witchcraft, the only way to save your life is to falsely confess and "name" other people you saw with the Devil. This turns neighbors against each other as people lie just to survive.
Danforth controls the court. He believes that you are either entirely "with this court or against it." Questioning his authority is treated as an attack on God Himself.
In Cold War America, there was widespread paranoia that Soviet Communist spies had infiltrated the country. Like witchcraft, simply having "Communist sympathies" was treated as treason, destroying people's lives based purely on rumor.
The House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) acted like the Salem court. They investigated citizens for disloyalty. If you were blacklisted by HUAC, you could never work in Hollywood or government again.
Arthur Miller himself was brought before HUAC. They demanded he name his friends who had attended Communist meetings. Miller refused, protecting his "name" and honor—exactly like John Proctor does at the end of the play.
McCarthy was a powerful politician who fueled the panic, claiming he had lists of known Communists. Like Danforth, he used fear and intimidation to maintain his own political power.
Because Salem is a Theocracy, physical acting should reflect strict moral codes. Characters should have rigid posture, keep their heads bowed respectfully, and avoid casual touching. When the hysteria breaks out, the contrast of screaming and throwing themselves on the floor is terrifying because it breaks these strict rules.
Puritan design should be stark, heavy, and unforgiving. Costumes use heavy wool and linen in drab colors (brown, grey, black), reflecting a life without joy or luxury. Sets should feel claustrophobic, using heavy timber beams to make the actors look trapped by the weight of the church/court.
To the Puritans, the forest outside the village was the "Devil's last preserve"—a dark, uncivilized place of danger. Lighting design should always make the world outside the windows look dark, threatening, and unknown.