The stage is set, the French and Indian War has recently ended and tensions between the colonists and the British are only just beginning. However, despite all these influential happenings the people of Salem are focused on something totally different. In Arthur Miller’s The Crucible these colonists in Salem are focused on something never seen or thought of before, witchcraft. This word and thought throw this small town into a frenzy and even some of the surrounding towns are caught up in this. The suspected witchcraft tests the colonists spiritually, emotionally, and politically. However, if these accusations were false then many of these trials would not have happened. Many of the citizens also did not believe in witches and trials. Therefore …show more content…
Emotions are crucial in our day to day lives as they are constantly changing depending on who we interact with and what happens during the day. The emotions of the Salem citizen’s are profoundly changed by the taking of their loved ones, and in some cases their execution. Even the people who are arresting people feel emotionally unstable. Cheever is a great example of this as he voices these feelings when he says, “ Now believe me, Proctor, how heavy be the law, all its tonnage I do carry on my back tonight. I have a warrant for your wife.“ (Miller 72). Cheever feels convicted about his work and his emotions begin to take their toll on him as he arrests those who he knows quite well. Another part of this emotional journey during these trials is the facet of trust. These men and women are constantly being emotionally tested as they worry about who might convict them. They are concerned with the aspect of backstabbing that seems to have become the norm during these trials. A prime example is on page 73 which takes place in the Proctor household. Proctor: “Who charged her?” Cheever: “Why, Abigail Williams charge her.” (Miller 73). This was an especially emotional time for Proctor because he had been very close to Abigail yet she turns on Elizabeth who Proctor also is very close