The Crucible
The 1953 play The Crucible, by Arthur Miller, is a story about the Salem Witch Trials. In the play, the actions of Abigail Williams, and other girls of Salem mirror the events that occurred during the Red Scare in the 1940s and 50s.
The story begins in the town of Salem, when the daughter of a pastor falls into a psychotic tantrum. Questioning finds that the girl had been dancing and chanting with other girls around a fire in the woods. Further investigation ensues and an authority on witchcraft, Rev. John Hale is called to the scene. He questions Abigail Williams, who is the leader of the gang of girls. In reality, the girls had been practicing witchcraft with a slave named Tituba. Tituba confesses to witchcraft after being threatened with death, and accuses two other women of being witches. Abigail and a girl named Betty follow Tituba's example, and begin accusing many of the women from town of being witches. When the "witches" are brought into court, Abigail and the girls throw fits, and try to convince the court that the "witches" are hexing them. The story ends after detailing the trial, and eventual death of John Proctor.
The Crucible was written in the time of McCarthyism, when many government officials were being accused of being Communist. Interestingly, the plot of The Crucible is very close to being historically accurate, and therefore draws a fascinating parallel between the Red Scare, and the Salem Witch Trials.