Arthur Miller entered into this world at the beginning of the great depression.  He was a poor student, and decided to quit school when his father lost his business in 1929.  He never graduated.  He worked as a farmhand for just a few dollars a day.  Most of his salary went to pay for college at the University of Michigan, working at the newspaper, and living on prizes from his writing. He has always made a case for "Every Man", and he knew the value of a hard day's work.  No wonder this guy married Marilyn Monroe!

The nifty (yes, I said nifty) thing about this play is that you can't just look at the time in which it was written to get the whole story. I mean, sure, Miller is really writing about the McCarthy trials (which trials of their own - just replace "with" with "communist"), but he also did his research into Puritanism.

Puritanism

The Puritans came from England to avoid... get this... persecution. They were a theocracy (kind of) in the sense that if you didn't go to church on Sunday Morning, you could get in trouble with the law, get excommunicated, and lose everything without a trial. They couldn't even vote! This is why it is so significant that John Proctor had not been attending church as of late. Another significant fact about Puratins, is that Adultery was one of the BIG sins. Again, this is why it comes as such a shock when he admits he was sleeping with Abigail

You're Damned if you do, you're damned if you don't.

• If you confess to being a witch, you are free, and capable of being redeemed!
• If you confess to being a witch, you are damned for eternity, and have no chance of being redeemed! Now do you see why Rebecca Nurse had such an issue?

McCarthyism

In 1950, before the flames of WWII had truly died, a nobody senator became a somebody when he called the Democrats in the area a bunch of Commies.  People took him seriously, and in the 1950s, we had our own witch hunts.  If you were an 'artist', a 'liberal', or basically anyone who didn't fit the mold, you were accused of being a Communist.  Writers, playwrights, painters, musicians and more were blackballed and couldn't get work anywhere.  This was Miller's (who himself was accused) somewhat successful attempt (unlike Proctor, Nurse, and eventually Hale's failed attempt(s) at stoping the kangaroo court).

I.1: Parris' daughter is sick with some unknown illness. We find out that Parris is more interested in his job than his daughter.

I.2: A handfull of girls were dancing in the forest. Since dancing is very un Puritanical, they didn't want to get caught. So instead they make up this hoop la (is that a word?) about witches that eventually gets 20 people killed.

I.3: We find out John Proctor comes in to pick up the help. He has a scene with Abigail, and we find out they committed adultery. She comes on to him, then admits the whole witch thing is a lie. Betty, Parris' daughter wakes up screamingl.

I.4: People fight over land and property. Parris and Proctor argue individuality.

I.5: Hale, the Ghost (I mean Witch) buster comes into the scene to hear the girls' story. Proctor leaves because he knows it is all a sham. Tituba tells Hale that she made a deal with the Devil, and Hale bullies more information (all untrue) out of Tituba.

II.1: Mary Warren, with awful work ethic basically tells Proctor that she has jury duty, and to shove it. Elizabeth tells him to buck up and do his job by stopping these shenanigans.

II.2: Warren comes home, lets everyone know that Elizabeth was accused of being a witch. Proctor realizes this is so that Abigail can have him all to herself. Marry gives Elizabeth a doll (poppet) as a kind gesture, but really it turns out to be a pretty cruddy present. Elizabeth pushes Proctor to go stop this nonsense.

II.3: Hale and the Proctors talk religion and duty.

II.4: Goody Nurse and Goody Proctor get arrested for witch craft! I TOLD you that was a cruddy present. And MAN, stabbing yourself with a needle has GOT to hurt!

III.1: Some of the town try to stop the madness, and they get accused of going against the court! (Talk about "justice"). Parris starts going crazy, and suggesting this treason in people.

III.2: Mary is forced to testify by Proctor. Giles Corey gets arrested.

III.3: Enter the "witch squad". The other girls enter, Proctor accuses Abigail, Goody Proctor tries to protect her husband, and EPIC FAILS! Mary accuses Proctor of which craft.

IV.1: Tituba and Sarah Good have a chat about the devil.

IV.2: Hale tries to get Proctor and the crew to confess so that they don't get hing. Abigail steals a bunch of money which you think would discredit her testimony, but noooo!

IV.3: "Ok, I'll sign the confession!" "No, I wont sign the confession just to spite you!"...

IV.4: "Ok, so maybe I really will sign." Man, Proctor is the biggest flip-flopper out there!

• The authority of the church/court as absolute, and the folly of this belief.
  
• Power corrupts. Especially the power over life and death.
• Mass Hysteria is very real and very scary.
• "You're damned if you do, you're damned if you don't." If you sign, you're a witch, if you don't sign, you're a witch. Either way you're screwed.
• Identity and one's name (and reputation).  Between Proctor asking himself "Who is John Proctor" to him refusing to sign his confession, to the stain of being accused of witch craft, this theme is seen throughout the book, and culminates at the end with Proctor.
  

• This play is not just an allegory for the McCarthy hearings. You know, that may be where the work began, but even if the McCarthy hearings never happened, it would still be a spectacular, and accurate work.
• You can see how far the trials have gotten away from the belief system of the Puritans. When Proctor is arrested, you can see the struggle that Cheever goes through. It gets much more obvious when Rebecca Nurse gets arrested.
• I love Hale's transformation throughout the play. You begin with the staunch, inflexible, unmoving man, but as he sees more and more atrocities, he realizes that his position is completely wrong.