Use Of Representation Of Speech In The Crucible

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How does Miller use representations of speech and other dramatic devices to present Keller in the opening scene? Firstly, the opening stage directions help to build Keller’s character and introduce him to the audience. ‘Joe Keller is sitting in the sun’ the purpose of this is to give the audience a sense of setting .The fact that Keller is reading the ‘want ads’ is unusual, it shows he is uninterested in the news as he has completely disregarded the rest of the paper, which shows the audience from the beginning that he likes to isolate himself from the world. The stage direction ‘Chairs scattered’ also links to the fact that Keller chooses to ignore the things around him, he has entered the garden, sat down and started reading the paper,…show more content…
One ongoing theme throughout the play is that every character seems to change the direction of the conversation by mentioning the tree (which is a dramatic device and also symbolism). On page 7 Frank says, ‘Hey, what happened to your tree?’ On page 10 Lydia says ‘Oh, did the wind get your tree?’ this is significant because the tree that blew down was Larry’s tree. It is clear that Keller is trying to erase Larry’s death from his mind because he knows deep down that he is partly responsible by allowing his company to ship out faulty parts. So the purpose of the multiple references to the tree link to the theme of guilt. Keller is trying not to let his past haunt him, but he can’t escape from it. Keller’s wife, Kate, remains hopeful that Larry is still alive and is desperate for Keller to believe he is coming back too ‘Believe with me, Joe. I can’t stand all alone.’ However Keller does not have any hope whatsoever. He dislikes realism and is far from optimistic. Also, when Frank asks about the tree, Keller responds with ‘The wind must’ve got it last night. You heard the wind didn’t you?’ he is desperately trying to avoid talking about Larry and this is also an example of a tag question. Another speech feature that occurs in the play is interruptions. On page 7, Keller says ‘All the kind of business goin’ on. In my day, you were either a lawyer, or a doctor, or you worked in a shop. Now...’ and is

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