Effect of Language

In the critiques and articles about Miller’s play, some critics have mentioned the language he uses. While Albert Hunt praises the effect the language has on the play (“There is a purity about the language which gives it great tragic power”) Gerald Weales writes “Nor was it such a good idea for Miller to attempt…to suggest the language of the period; the liens are as awkward and as stagily false as those in John Drinkwater’s Oliver Cromwell” (131, 150).
I think that Miller’s use of the language of the time, which we know from his writings was a conscious choice, does give the play power but in even more ways that Hunt mentioned. While the degree of connection the play has with the McCarthy era is so hotly debated, the language of the Puritans serve to ground the play in the historical time period. Obviously this does not rule out the parallels between the two situations, but it does place the viewer firmly in the historical context. Using this language is also significant because so many of the overall themes and ideas of the play are dependent on this context. Miller uses the language as a tool to form the society, and without this clear formation the conflict that Proctor and the other characters have would be less significant. The struggle between individual and society would not be noteworthy to the reader if there were not an established society to begin with. In a time where the public may not have a clear view of the historical background, Miller uses the language to transport them. It also helps him to shape the society into a framework that he can use to set his characters and action in.
In response to Hunt’s comment about the tragic power – I think that the simplicity (or “purity”) of the language does contribute emotionally to the tragic scenes. Take for example when Elizabeth lies because she thinks it will help her husband; here the dialogue is very short and simple (pg. 113). A similar thing happens towards the ends of the play when Proctor and Elizabeth meet again for the first time in months. While I agree that the purity of the language contributes the tragic emotion, I think this could also have been achieved with modern language. The more significant value of the language used is how it set the historical and societal context.