"The Crucible" and "On the Waterfront"

Paper Summary:

The paper analyzes these two works that reflect the search for Communists in the 1950s. These works show the vastly different reactions to the demand by Congress that former communists turn in other former communists or be ostracized. The paper shows how Miller, the author of the play "The Crucible" was not willing to renounce former beliefs or friends, while Kazan, director of "On the Waterfront" ultimately was. The paper explains the many differences between the works but at the same time highlights the similarities between this play and film.

From the Paper:

"The two works are quite different in many respects, though the impetus for both can be found in the anti-Communist witch-hunts of the 1950s. These works seem vastly different: one is a film, the other is a play; one is set in the 17th century, the other in the contemporary Cold War era; one setting is rural and agricultural, the other is urban and industrial; the one concerns the fate of farmers, the other the fate of dock workers. At the same time, there are similarities in that both works deal with power and its corruption and misuse; both illustrate the dilemmas and suffering of simple people; both use executions as a way to protect the community; both describe the use of fear to control the community; both use hearings or trials as the focal point of conflict; both use the naming of names as a moral question; the hero of each at the end is bloodied but unbowed; both give a major role to the church and to local government officials. Some of these similarities are superficial, and some are deeper. One area of similarity is that each is among the best, most powerful creations in its respective genre. Both works are also parables -- stories which illustrate a moral or present a truth about the McCarthy era in America -- created by artists who reacted in opposite ways to the demand that they cooperate in a witch hunt."

More papers on "The Crucible" and "On the Waterfront" :

• Comparison Essay # 114711 : "On the Waterfront" and "The Crucible"
• Analytical Essay # 123547 : "Miller, Kazan and McCarthyism"
• Comparison Essay # 73759 : "The Crucible" and McCarthyism"

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