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Similes
Style
Explanation and Analysis:
Miller’s writing style in The Crucible is fast-paced, which mirrors the urgency and hysteria of the Salem witch trials. This rapid tempo creates a sense of immediate danger for everyone involved. Once the fuse of paranoia is lit, events whip by almost too quickly to follow, compelling the audience to feel the intense pressure Proctor and his neighbors are under.
Miller’s use of formal, archaic diction provides a sense of local color that reflects the 17th-century Puritan setting, giving the dialogue a period-specific tone. This language choice immerses the audience in the historical context, adding layers of realism to the play’s interpretation of its real historical context.
The syntax of The Crucible is mostly short, direct, and intense; its Salem-native characters are not stupid but are not formally educated. They don’t beat around the bush, often speaking in terse, urgent sentences that convey their emotions clearly. This brevity and directness is part of their creed, as Puritans were encouraged to speak and to live plainly. More educated characters—primarily the men from out of town who come to conduct the trials—speak in longer, more contemplative sentences. The difference between their flowery diction and that of the people they are trying reflects one of the play’s central hypocrisies; that when it comes to witches, no one really knows more than anyone else.
Related Themes:
