Silence pervaded every imaginable recess of the old, crumbling courthouse. A hundred silent spectators hold their breath in anxious anticipation. Suddenly, the dull sound that only wood can make when it slams into a desk echoes for what might as well be all of eternity. A single man attracts the attention of two hundred eyes as he involuntarily clears his throat. But only his lips manage to form around a chilling word: guilty. Although the type of crime depends on the time period of the case mentioned above, as trials like these have occurred in American history not once but twice. The first began in the 1600s in a small town known as Salem Massachusetts, where people were killed for witchcraft crimes. The second case, while not as well known for conferring rigor mortis, still ruined the lives of many. Trials in the 1950s fueled by McCarthyism and the idea that communism was invading the United States led to many people being blacklisted as alleged socialists. Arthur Miller saw the true story of the trials of alleged non-Americans during his time and set out to make it known to the public. However, if Miller had openly stated his opinions, he would have found himself in the same position as the stories he tried to tell. Therefore he came up with a creative solution; wrote a story based on the events of the Salem witch trials that is almost perfectly symbolic of the McCarthyism trials. Miller's extensive [use of irony] in The Crucible reveals the real motives behind the events that occurred during the Salem witch trials, and thus exposes the dark truth of what happened during the McCarthyism trials of the 1990s 50 on anti-American activities. Even at the beginning Miller wastes no time in d...... middle of paper...... in court goes back to John Proctor's confession. He finally admits his sin after months of hiding it and then Danforth and the court tell him bluntly "she didn't talk about lust, and this man lied." (113?) This shows that when a real piece of truth is presented to the men of the law, they reject it and again take the side of the liars. The irony of the situation is that when Proctor confesses his sin, the court rejects his confession entirely based only on the evidence of his wife's request. These three examples of irony are perhaps the most important of all in relation to McCarthyism. They reveal that the court itself can represent an injustice in its proceedings. (jr 23?) Miller urges his readers to believe that the judges not only believed liars and rejected the truth, but also pushed for convictions rather than due process.