Arthur Miller's The Crucible takes a hard look at some of the ugliest moments in American history. He uses the actual historical event of the Salem witch trials to serve as a metaphorical representation of the pressure to conform to societal norms. The theocratic government of Salem, Massachusetts serves as an apt symbol of the pressure to conform. Religion provides an interpretation of reality for its worshippers, who live their lives according to its ideology. …showed first 75 words of 826 total…

…showed last 75 words of 826 total…he attended where there were Communist Party writers. They wanted to know who was there in the room with him. Miller replied: ". . . I am not protecting the Communists or the Communist Party. I am trying to . . . protect my sense of myself. I could not use the name of another person and bring trouble on him . . . I take the responsibility for everything I have ever done, but I cannot take the responsibility for another human being."