Playwright Arthur Miller wrote a play about the Salem witch trials and was able to reference the similarity of America throughout the years 40s and 50s. While writing the screenplay, Miller visited Salem to get a sense of the scenery. In the Salem courthouse he saw the red hunts of the 1950s as he had in mind the traces that occurred during the 1690s. The Salem witch trials and the anti-communist trials had some similarities and differences. During the 1690s the people of Salem accused others of witchcraft; similarly, witnesses and informants would say the names of the communist members. As both events took place, the authority took action against the accused instead of letting them go because it believed this would result in a loss of power. To keep social unity intact, the leaders' authority had to be rigorous. Both had similar traditions of defense, investigative routines, and prosecution of alleged members of a disloyal group. The accused witches would have to claim that they collaborated with the devil to stay safe. The accused reds could only prove their honesty if they named other reds. The hunt for the reds that reached Hollywood was led by the House Committee on Un-American Activities who blacked out the names of the performers before hiring them. Their goal was to destroy all ideas associated with communism. HUAC told people that they had to nominate other communist party members or they would lose their careers. There were witnesses and FBI informants who spoke, so the committee already knew who to start with. There were communists in America in the 1950s, but there were actually no witches in the 1690s. During the Salem witch trials a witness simply had to claim to have seen the spirit of the defendant. The suspicious Reverend Hale was right, John Proctor possessed an excessive sense of pride. Proctor chose to be hanged because he did not want to put his name in vain by claiming to have associated himself with the devil. Since Proctor refused to confess, he was behaving honorably. Thus, earning respect in Salem by dying. His actions were foolish and he committed adultery with Abigail Williams. He caused Abigail to fall in love with him. He refused to have a relationship with Abigail, in exchange she accused people of witchcraft. John Proctor was hanged due to the black magic conspiracy. However, John always said that that kind of magic never existed. Miller's behavior parallels Procter's behavior because they follow similar behavior