Arthur Miller
Known mostly for writing Death of a Salesman, Arthur Miller is considered one of the most prominent American playwrights in history. Miller won a Pulitzer Prize for Death of a Salesman and the New York Drama Critics' Circle Award for All My Sons. The Crucible, also quite noteworthy, is another play of his that dealt strongly with McCarthyism in the years of its publishing. The play presented a clear air of symbolism between the Salem witch trials and the actions of the United States government in the McCarthy era. With a deeply and agreeably critical attitude, Miller showed the courts of Salem, representing the courts handling communist accusations in America, to be emotionally reactive and unfair. He also explained the illogical nature of the trials' proceedings. All of this was molded and braced together under a strikingly tragic and powerful tone in the play. Sadly, these characteristics of the play caught the eyes of the House Committee on Un-American Activities (HCUA) and Senator Joseph McCarthy.
Solely because of his political message, Miller was denied renewal of his passport by the State Department. For failure to list accomplices of his "subversion" before the HCUA, Miller was sentenced to jail; however, his appeal successfully overturned the sentence in 1958, though he was fined for a charge of contempt. It is somewhat ironic how Miller became a subject of his own play.
Solely because of his political message, Miller was denied renewal of his passport by the State Department. For failure to list accomplices of his "subversion" before the HCUA, Miller was sentenced to jail; however, his appeal successfully overturned the sentence in 1958, though he was fined for a charge of contempt. It is somewhat ironic how Miller became a subject of his own play.