The fact that the story is set in the Salem Village builds to the theme about evil and isolation because it adds to the ideas of evil and intolerance that characterized the Salem Village.
For instance, the path through the forest that he had chosen was “a dreary road, darkened by all the gloomiest trees of the forest… and closed immediately behind [him]” (348).
In the clearing in the woods, there are four trees that are on fire. On page 354, they are described as “four blazing pines, their tops aflame, their stems untouched, like candles at an evening meeting.” This structure builds