p23
Excerpt
Mrs. Putnam: “The psalm! The psalm!, …” … Mrs.Putnam: “Mark it for a sign, mark it!”
Impact
The dialogue demonstrates anxiety and fear among the characters about the witchcraft.
Stylistic Effect
The use of a continuous series of short exclamatory sentences build tensions and emotional intensity in the scene. The fragmented words also suggest the disjointed thought process, further illustrating the panics. It engages audience to better understand the anxiety and fear of witchcraft in the Salem community.
p22
Exerpt
Abigail: She is blackening my name in the village! She is telling lies about me! She is a cold, sniveling woman, and you bend to her!
Impact
This dialogue shows the hate within Abigail towards Elizabeth, Proctor’s wife. It is a powerful expression of Abigail’s frustration and her attempts to manipulate the situation to her advantage.
Sylistic Effect
Repetition and Structural Parallelism are applied to amplify the turmoil within Abigail and help create a list of accusation with rythms. This adds to the overall tension and emotional weight of the scene, making it clear how deeply Abigail is affected by these perceived wrongs and how desperate she is to make the listener understand her side. This stylistic choice effectively conveys her anger and frustration, helping to engage the audience.
p18
Exerpt
Marry Warren: Abby, we’ve got to tell. Witchery’s a hangin error, a hanging like they doen in Bostoen two year ago! We must tell truth, Abby! You’ll only be whipped for dancin’, and the other things!
Impact
In this dialogue, Marry Warren tried to persuade Abby to confess the dancing and clarify there is no witchcraft in the village. This weak persuation demonstrates the weak position of Marry Warren towards Abigail and her undetermined sense of rightousness.
Stylistic Effect
The tone used is pleading, as it reflects the inner conflict within Marry Warren between the loyalty to Abigail and the awareness of moral and legal danger. The direct address of ‘Abby’ and the use of ‘we’ place herself with Abigail as friends, and the simplicity of the request reflects Marry Warren’s fundamental belief in honesty and justice.
p20
Excerpt
Proctor: Be you foolish, Mary Waren? Be you deaf? I forbid you leave the house, did I not? Why shall I pay you? I am looking for you more often than my cows!
Impact
The dialogue shows the anger of Proctor when he caught Mary Warren leaving the house to Salem. It also addresses the father-daughter relationship between the two characters, and reflects the education method used by Proctor’s family.
Stylistic Effect
The author applied a series of rhetorical question. In contrast to declarative sentences, the dialogue is able to convey more intense anger and strenthen the character’s tone effectively. Mary Warren was also compared to cows in the dialogue. This further expresses Proctor’s anger with some humliating meaning.
p40
Excerpt
Abigail: She made me do it! She made Betty do it! Tituba: Abby! Abigail: She makes me drink blood!
Impact
Abigail tried to evade from accusation of witchcraft by accusing Tituba. Abigail used her words and faked claim to manipulate the situation.
Stylistic Effect
The repetitive use of declarative sentences reinforced the actuator ‘she’ Tituba and the act of enforcement ‘made’, which makes the accusation strong and direct. The simplicity of the dialogue avoids details being shown, making other characters to develop false imagination. This also further developed the character of Abigail, being a strategic girl.