The Crucible

by Arthur Miller

The Crucible: Allegory 1 key example

Definition of Allegory

An allegory is a work that conveys a hidden meaning—usually moral, spiritual, or political—through the use of symbolic characters and events. The story of "The Tortoise and The Hare" is... read full definition
An allegory is a work that conveys a hidden meaning—usually moral, spiritual, or political—through the use of symbolic characters and events. The story of "The... read full definition
An allegory is a work that conveys a hidden meaning—usually moral, spiritual, or political—through the use of symbolic characters and... read full definition
Allegory
Explanation and Analysis—McCarthyism:

The Crucible functions as an allegorical representation of McCarthyism, an era in which the senator Joseph McCarthy stoked national paranoia about the covert influence of communists on the United States. In the early 1950s, there was considerable fear in the United States surrounding the Cold War, and many citizens directed this fear toward the idea that communists might be hiding in plain sight and working to undermine American values.