In his opening stage directions, Miller writes of the looming forest beside Salem and
points out why it must have seemed so ominous:
The edge of
the wilderness was close by. The American continent stretched endlessly west, and it was full of
mystery for them. It stood, dark and threatening, over their shoulders night and day, for out of
it Indian tribes marauded from time to time, and Reverend Parris had parishioners who had lost
relatives to these heathen.
It is this, rather than
anything in the Bible, that causes the Puritans to regard the forest and everything that happens
there with superstitious horror. They believe that the forest is an evil place. Their particular
superstitions about witches include their flying (Mrs. Putnam's first question is how high Betty
flew) and being able to use curses to kill or injure children. They also assume that it is
possible for a needle stuck in a doll to reproduce itself and pierce human flesh at the behest
of a witch.
The Puritans also believe...
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