"'There are wheels within wheels in this village, and fires within fires!'" Act 1, Scene 4, pg. 26
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The village was engulfed in conflict stemming from the hiring of a former store owner from the Caribbean (if I remember right) as a pastor for the church. Some villagers didn't want him hired and some did. Read the background for the story. When he was hired, the 2 groups were angry at each other and the anger spilled over into accusations of witchcraft and sinfulness. Fire is probably a metaphor for emotional desires that could be related to sinfulness and sexuality, which they looked down on. Also, the church rules were tools to maintain control of the village residents in a period of high mortality (due to weather conditions, lack of medical knowledge, etc.), threats from Native Americans possibly and worldliness. Could that quote be forshadowing the increasing conflict and the punishment by fire of those alleged witches? Probably.
Gossip. Think about your own town; then try reading the book. As I recall, it's short.
I always took it to mean the wheels within wheels refers to deep encircling plots and the fires within fires to refer to debauchery, or conflicts of love and infidelity. It has been a few years since I read that story though.
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