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The Sound Of A Voice Analysis

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“The Sound of a Voice” by David Henry Hwang is a one act play telling the story of two characters, Man and Woman. These characters both live alone and isolated. Woman is rumored to be a witch, and Man is a soldier without a purpose who comes in hope of killing Woman. They both have a fear of silence and love. These unusual fears result in their fatal downfall. This play explores deep emotions, such as the fear of silence that Man and Woman share which pushes Woman to commit suicide. A fear of intimacy, felt exceptionally strong by Man, results in unfortunate timing leading to Woman’s death. Loneliness displayed by both characters is the underlying cause of the outcome. These feelings play together to contribute to Man and Woman’s tragic love.
In the beginning of the play, Woman is serving Man tea. She offers to feed him, and he says she is kind. “You are reckless in your flattery, sir. But anything you say, I will enjoy hearing. It’s not even the words. It’s the sound of a voice, the way it moves through the air.” (Hwang, 1740). Here, Woman is saying she does not care what Man says, as long as she hears the sound of his voice. This introduces her fear of silence. Woman inquires about where Man has been living and sleeping. He says he sleeps next to the waterfall, where the sound of the water allows him to sleep peacefully. This shows that Man also has a fear of silence. Woman then mentions that she will also sleep well tonight if she hears Man’s breathing. “Tonight, I’ll sleep. I’ll lie down in the next room, and hear your breathing through the wall, and fall asleep shamelessly. There will be no silence.” (Hwang, 1740). This quote shows that Woman sleeps better without silence. These incidents in the first scene introduce and develop the fear that both Man and Woman have of silence. This fear contributes to their downfall later in the play. Although they have a fear of silence, they seem to favor it when it comes to expressing feelings. Man’s silence about his feelings towards Woman leads her to commit suicide. He is too late in telling her his true emotions. Woman also keeps silent about her affection for Man throughout the play. They are both hesitant in expressing their love for one another. Although

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