Did Arthur Miller's play "The Crucible" have any effect at
the time HUAC was chasing communists?  Did it turn people
against HUAC at all?  Or is it only in retrospect that it
seems such an effective metaphor?

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Request for Question Clarification by pafalafa-ga on 08 Jan 2004 08:08 PST

The metaphor of the "witch hunt" was clearly recognized by -- well --
just about everyone at the time The Crucible was first staged in the
early 1950's.  Miller himself acknowledged as much in a comment he
made in 1957:

"...I believe that on the night of its opening, the time when the gale
from the right was blowing at its fullest fury, it inspired a part of
its audience with an unsettling fear..."

Miller himself was forced to testify before HUAC and was convicted of
contempt of Congress, before his conviction was eventually overturned.

The specific effect "The Crucible" had on HUAC is not clear.  There
were two other prominent plays of the time that also took a clear
"anti-McCarthyism" stance, and also impacted public opinion.

If you'd like, I can provide an answer to your question that will
summarize some of the thoughts people had in the late '50's and early
60's about politics of The Crucible.

But I don't think it's possible to clearly "connect the dots" to show
a direct impact of the play on the activities of HUAC.

Let me know what you think.

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Clarification of Question by bugbear-ga on 08 Jan 2004 14:05 PST

I trust the pafalafa-ga brand, so go ahead.

This essay might be of use to you
http://www.instant-essays.com/book_reports/crucible.shtml

I took a year long course on the 50's and 60's last year, so I am
fairly confident about the following.  Although it is clear throughout
Miller's play that the witch hunt represents Mccarthy's communist
hunt, the play had about as much effect on HUAC as Harry Potter has on
the religious community.  The presence of a disturbance was there, but
it effected society more than government and still only minimally. 
(About as much as The Killing Fields effected Pole Pot) HUAC did not
change its plans or methods of finding, interrogating and convicting
"communists" due to the play's publication.  Books in print today
about President Bush do not effect his policies.  Only years after
something like that is put into print do people realize its
significance, 20/20 hindsight is a great thing.  If you want more
clarification (really more on the historic patterns and HUAC) I
suggest you visit the Library of Congress's official website or just
read more into HUAC...good luck