I think in the short term, Miller's assumptions we see in
the 4th Act are true... Livestock wandering the streets, orphans roaming from house to
house, and crops rotting in the fields were just a few of the known effects in that era.
I would assume some of the unknown effects were relationships that never recovered from
the pain of the accusations, and children who may have bore deep-seeded resentments
against the church.
In the long term, obviously the impact
of the hysteria the Salem Witch Trials created has not gone away. It is a focus in all
major book publishers' literature series, and Hollywood doesn't leave it alone either.
Many types of "witch-hunts" have happened even over the last century that have kept the
reminder of the Salem Witch Trials in view. They are a good reminder to consider how far
our beliefs can carry us to poorly carry out what we sometimes think is
justice.
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