Why did Molly Kazan disagreed with Miller's comparison between HUAC and Salem?

Answer 1

Molly Kazan disagreed with Arthur Miller's comparison between the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC) and the Salem witch trials because she believed that the two situations were fundamentally different in their motivations and consequences. While Miller emphasized the hysteria and injustice in both instances, Kazan argued that the HUAC was a response to real threats posed by communism during the Cold War, whereas the Salem trials were based on superstition and unfounded accusations. She felt that Miller's analogy undermined the seriousness of the political context in which HUAC operated. Kazan's perspective highlighted a more nuanced understanding of the complexities surrounding loyalty and patriotism during that era.