To the European world, the province of Salem, Massachusetts was a barbaric frontier that was inhabited by a group of fanatics of godly situations. The people of this province considered themselves holy and pure children of God, opposed to the devil's ever-present face in their lives. The characters in The Crucible by Arthur Miller, said that they acted out of their knowledge of the devils' power regarding witchcraft. They were guided in their decisions by fear, frustration, and violence.
             Every individual who is accused of witchcraft expresses fear. If one person is accused of witchcraft, he must confess or die for denying the manifest truth. The biggest fear expressed in this play was John Proctors' anxiety for the life of his wife, Elizabeth, rather than fear for his own safety. He told Abigail, the harlot that accused Elizabeth of witchcraft, when she accused his wife of witchcraft, that "if [she] did not free [his] wife [the next day, he was] set and bound to ruin [her reputation by telling of his act of lechery with her]." (p.151) His fear for his wife's' life was out of love for her. He knew that she was a good woman and would never have had any role in witchcraft.
             The second emotion that guided the decisions made by characters was frustration. Many of the characters deceived themselves and others throughout the play by portraying themselves as witches when they really were not. The way that they went from telling the truth to lying, and telling the truth again just confused the Puritan community. John Proctor was still out to save his wife, and told her accuser that he had "rocky proof in documents that [she] knew that poppet [was not his] wife's; and the [she] bade Mary warren stab that needle into it." (p.151) All he wanted was Elizabeth's' innocence, and he was willing to go to any measure to achieve it, even if it meant giving himself a ba
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