What Silence Says

     The word in A Visit from the Goon Squad about which I chose to write is “silent.”  So far, the word has appeared twelve times in the novel.  Many of these silences take place during conversations between characters that, on the surface, have close relationships.  In these cases, characters’ silences are more revealing than their conversations—they illustrate the fact that, though these people have intimate connections, there is a lot that they don’t know or understand about one another; there are also many things that characters do not want to share with one another.  For example, after Sasha refuses to share with her therapist how she feels at the end of Chapter One, Egan writes, “They sat in silence, the longest silence that had ever passed between them” (18).  Obviously, therapists are people with whom one shares intimate thoughts and problems; yet, Sasha will not reveal her feelings to the man whose job it is to “cure” her.  Another instance occurs when Sasha remains quiet as Bennie watches his son walk through the door of his ex-wife’s home (36).  Though Sasha and Bennie have been working together for years, and Sasha could have easily attempted to comfort Bennie, she keeps to herself.  In a final example, on page 161, Egan describes Dolly’s interaction with her daughter on the way to school:  “The silence between them had become inviolable; Dolly feared it would never end.”  In this case, Dolly chooses not to engage in deep conversation with her young daughter, despite the fact that the pair has just returned from their dangerous, scarring journey in the jungle with the volatile general. 

     Silences also occur in the novel when characters are reflecting on their circumstances and surroundings.  An example occurs when Ted is in Naples “searching” for Sasha:  “He ate a can of tuna under an olive tree and listened to the crazy, empty silence” (208).  In many cases like this throughout the novel, Egan reveals characters’ personalities and traits through their thoughts when they are alone. 

      After making these observations and examining the roles that silence plays in the novel, I came to realize that, in many ways, this novel is made up of stories about characters determinedly facing their struggles alone.  From Stephanie’s clandestine tennis matches to Robert’s feelings toward Sasha, characters rarely confide in one another or share their deep feelings.  It occurred to me that this may (at least somewhat) be why many of the characters seem to be lost and in need of healing—they turn not to one another, but inward, plunging further into loneliness.