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Karen Tsang

Mrs. Hudak

English II

24 May 2021

Reverend Parris and Tail-Gunner Joe

Neuroscientist Abhijit Naskar once said, “it is imperative that all uprising be guided by

an urge for justice, not a craving for revenge” (103). Mob mentality provides a precarious

justification for actions that would be individually unreasonable. Arthur Miller recognized these

dangers after being blacklisted for associating with the Communist Party during the Red Scare.

From this experience, he drew inspiration for The Crucible and used the Salem Witch Trials as

an allegory for McCarthyism. One main character is Reverend Samuel Parris, who is a foil to

protagonist John Proctor and plays a major role in the rapid progression of the witch hangings

similar to the way that Senator McCarthy was integral to the escalation of the Red Scare. In The

Crucible, Arthur Miller uses Reverend Parris's motives, role as an instigator in the trials, and

moral complex to reflect Senator McCarthy's actions during the Red Scare.

Reverend Parris and Senator McCarthy have similar motivations and attitudes, instigating

mass hysteria within their societies in an attempt to increase their own social standing. Miller’s

word choice depicts Parris’s overly pompous character hiding his insecurities about his social

status. In the overture, Miller introduces Parris, stating, “he believed he was being persecuted

wherever he went, despite his best efforts to win people and God to his side” (136). Parris cares

deeply about the opinions of the community, which leads him to support the mob mentality

surrounding the trials to protect his public image. Likewise, Senator Joseph McCarthy, also

known as “Tail-Gunner Joe”, was the primary leader of the Red Scare and accused hundreds of
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people of being communists. Historians deduced that he was “burdened by an uneventful

political career and having an eye towards reelection, [therefore] McCarthy claimed that 205

communists had infiltrated the U.S. State Department” (Biography.com Editors). The senator

caused the communist commotion to draw attention to himself and uphold his political position,

just as Reverend Parris urged Abigail and Betty to lie to avoid tainting his reputation as a

member of the church.

Additionally, Parris and McCarthy both held influential positions in the court trials,

despite the fact that neither were the presiding judges. For instance, during the witch trials, Parris

constantly made heated accusations and snide remarks to inflict motivational bias on Judge

Danforth. During one such instance, Parris exclaims, “Excellency, you surely cannot think to let

so vile a lie be spread in open court!” (Miller 3.175-176). Arthur Miller’s word choice amplifies

Parris’s exaggerated reactions and characterizes him as an instigator. Parris makes exclamations

like this throughout the trials until eventually, Danforth grows agitated and dismisses him. In

parallel, Senator McCarthy played an identical role in the Communist trials, which the F.B.I.

conducted. Victor Navsky of the New York Times, states, “Senator Joseph McCarthy, with his

reckless charges of spies and ‘comsymps,’ occupied the front pages, while behind the scenes J.

Edgar Hoover, the director of the F.B.I., presided over and manipulated a vast internal security

bureaucracy (218). McCarthy was infamous for his dramatic and aggressive interrogations that

gave him the nickname “Tail-Gunner Joe” and forced hundreds to confess to communism. Both

Parris and McCarthy used inflated emotional accusations to propel the court in their favor.

Finally, Reverend Parris and Joseph McCarthy both had moral complexes, acting like

they firmly believed they were doing the right thing. Parris constantly felt the need to prove that

he was a man of God and deserved his position in the church. In court, he rebuts Proctor stating,
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“you should surely know that Cain were an upright man, and yet he did kill Abel” (Miller

3.247-248). According to his logic, just because Elizabeth was a good Christian in the past, that

does not mean she cannot be corrupted by the Devil. Miller’s use of a biblical allusion further

amplifies the fact that Parris is trying to prove how godly and righteous he is by accusing the

witches. Correspondingly, McCarthy portrays himself as a brave and radical leader for having

the courage to stand up to Communism. He “appeared to his supporters as a dedicated patriot

and guardian of genuine Americanism, to his detractors as an irresponsible self-seeking

witch-hunter who was undermining the country’s traditions of civil liberties” (Palmer et al.). The

media coverage during his rise to power played a major role in his image and reflects how the

public’s view of “Tail-Gunner Joe” evolved as the Red Scare progressed. The juxtaposition

between Parris's and McCarthy's outward virtuousness and their actual selfish

reputation-building motivations reveals their moral complex.

In conclusion, both Reverend Parris and Senator McCarthy have similar attitudes, roles,

and beliefs in growing the mob mentality for their egocentric purposes rather than the benefit of

society. As with any historical antagonist, Parris and McCarthy’s actions may have seemed

justifiable at the time considering the circumstances of the situation; however, they both

inevitably faced the consequences which led to their downfall. The Salem Witch Trials and the

Red Scare are just two examples of mob mentality; it is imperative to check the instigator’s

motivation in any mass hysteria situation. Moreover, the rise of social media and the anonymity

it provides further facilitates the irrational peer pressure of mob mentality.

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Works Cited

Biography.com Editors. “Joseph McCarthy.” Biography.com, A&E Networks Television, 20 Apr.

2020, www.biography.com/political-figure/joseph-mccarthy.

Miller, Arthur. “The Crucible.” Holt Mcdougal Literature: Grade 11, Houghton Mifflin

Harcourt, 2012, pp. 136–212.

Naskar, Abhijit. No Foreigner Only Family. Neuro Cookies, 27 June 2020, pp. 103.

Navsky, Victor. “The Demons of Salem, With Us Still.” Holt Mcdougal Literature: Grade 11,

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2012, pp. 218.

Palmer, Russell, et al. “Joseph McCarthy.” Encyclopædia Britannica, Encyclopædia Britannica,

Inc., 28 Apr. 2021, www.britannica.com/biography/Joseph-McCarthy.