The Crucible
narrative and dramatic techniques
one page
one page
The dialogue is the simple language of country folks, while at the same time employing old-fashioned vocabulary and grammar. The narrative asides are slightly more complex and use regular, standard, 1950s everyday language. The narrator actually inserts himself into the play several times to describe characters and tell us what we should think about them, such as when he tells us that Judge Hathorne is a bitter man. In addition, each inserted stage direction indicates exactly what a character is thinking or feeling. The narrator is able to jump into any character’s mind at any given moment.