"The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street"

   In the 1950s, McCarthyism swept the nation. McCarthyism is a term used to describe the American fear of communist spies during the Cold War. Joseph McCarthy started this movement; he tried to raise American awareness of Russians and even went so far as to accuse many famous actors and directors of communism. He had no evidence for these ludicrous claims, yet many of the victims were "black listed" and could not find work. This era has many parallels with the Salem witch trials of the 1690s. During that time, many people were wrongfully accused of witchcraft due to paranoia and revenge.
   In the Twilight Zone episode "The Monsters Are Due on Maple Street," a meteor flies across a street and its power goes out. Even the cars, radios, and lawn mowers lose power. The people of the neighborhood become paranoid after a young man tells a story of a comic book that is similar to the events taking place. This symbolizes the rising, witch fear of the Puritans and the McCarthyism fear of spies. The boy explains that aliens in the comic book didn't allow anyone to leave except the disquised aliens, and this sends the neighborhood into high alert.They turn on each other, which directly parallels the situation in both 1950s and 1690s. In all these cases, people point fingers at others that they know. In the Twilight Zone, a character named Charlie becomes the McCarthy and blames many different people. Eventually, his paranoia leads him to kill one of his neighbors. By the end of the episode, the entire neighborhood is in a state of extreme panic. We learn that aliens were the cause of the power shortages; however, they were not in the town, but watching. The aliens make the comment that humans are our own most dangerous enemy. In the conclusion, a direct line is shown to the 50s by saying that weapons are not always bombs, explosions, and fallout, but thoughts and attitudes. Our prejudice can kill, our suspicion destroy, and our thoughtless search for a scape goat can create a fall out for our children and children yet unborn. This statement ties together all three of the examples. In each case the people destroy themselves without weapons of destruction, but with their minds and accusations.