Silent To The Bone

“Friendship depends on interlocking time, place, and state of mind.”

Connor reflects on the nature of friendship and how his and Branwell’s friendship formed over several years due to a shared life history and being so close in age. They are almost more like brothers than friends because they grew up together and continue to be each other’s primary source of support.

“In the weeks that followed, I discovered that the reasons for his not speaking were layered. He could not speak until the last layer had been peeled away and laid aside.”

In this metaphor, Connor explains the complex nature of Branwell’s silence and the arduous process of helping him speak again. Branwell is harboring more than one secret, as well as a deep sense of shame, and Connor has to crack through it all to reach the truth. The Impact of Shame on One’s Personal Choices is most clearly demonstrated through Branwell’s silence on what he knows is wrong.

“He was still robot-like, but his eyes had become more alive.”

Connor makes keen and highly perceptive observations of Branwell’s appearance, his mannerisms, and the movements of his eyes, using Silence as a Form of Communication to get to the truth of what happened to his friend. Branwell doesn’t say it out loud, but his visits with Connor slowly bring him “back to life,” and Connor’s belief in Branwell is an essential comfort to him.

“Branwell knew, just as I had known, that it would be only a matter of time before Tina would move in, and they would be a different kind of family from what they had been before.”

Margaret empathizes with Branwell’s feelings of isolation and loneliness when Tina came into the family and when Nikki was later born. Branwell and his father had lived a certain way for so long that this sudden change was overwhelming and difficult. Margaret went through the same experience when her father got remarried to Connor’s mother.

“The energy I would normally use for thinking up what I was going to say went into listening hard and watching well, and I remembered everything.”

As Connor works with Branwell, he grows as a person and learns important lessons about the power of silence and of listening rather than talking. He finds that he remembers more of what people say, has more relevant questions to ask, and is more able to help Branwell reveal clues about his case.

“Margaret was too honest a person to ever deny that she did not like my mother.”

Connor sees his sister’s flaws and accepts her as she is, but it bothers him that Margaret is not close with either their father or Connor’s mother. Margaret is defined by her honesty and “tough love” wisdom that she brings to Connor’s life, and this comment on her relationship with his mother is filled with a playful sense of humor.

“After a while, Bran stopped talking about her, and our friendship changed. By the middle of October, Branwell hardly had time for me at all. He rushed home from school every day. I assumed that he had chosen to spend his after-school hours with her instead of me.”

This key reflection of Connor’s, as he looks back on how Branwell changed over the past several weeks, is important because it not only signifies that Connor has yet to uncover important details but also hints toward Branwell having to care for his baby sister. Connor allowed jealousy to cloud his mind and did not think of any other possibility besides Branwell wanting to spend time with Vivian.

“The truth is that if you don’t say anything, you can’t say anything wrong.”

While there is humor in this statement, it is also an important truth that Connor learns as he observes Branwell and reflects on the reasons for his silence. Branwell is ashamed of keeping Vivian’s secrets and worries that by revealing one, he will have to reveal them all. Similarly, Connor learns that he can get more information out of people by remaining silent and letting them do the talking.

“At that moment, I knew why no one should be allowed to play with matches. There’s no telling what besides a cigarette might catch fire.”

In this subtle metaphor, Connor hints at his newly ignited feelings for Vivian. These feelings come on suddenly and powerfully, in part because of his age and in part because of Vivian’s openly seductive manner. Connor’s interaction with Vivian is a powerful hint toward her unhealthy relationship with teenage boys and the way she tries to make them feel “mature” and liked.

“I had some new thoughts about Branwell, and I wondered if the Branwell I thought I knew was the Branwell I knew.”

Hearing Vivian’s (false) testimony gives Connor cause to doubt Branwell, but only temporarily. Branwell makes it clear that Vivian is the true villain in this story and pushes Connor to find out as much about her as he possibly can. This sentence is intentionally written in a wordy and confusing manner to represent the confusion swirling in Connor’s mind.

“I don’t know how much of my fascination with her crept into what I was saying, but I guess a lot of it did. I didn’t care.”

Connor has a moment of malignance when he develops feelings for Vivian and wants Branwell to feel the same jealousy that he felt weeks before. Connor is still just 13, and while he is in many ways mature for his age, he is not beyond fault, nor is he beyond the occasional selfish feeling.

“For the first time in all these years, I wondered how it would feel to be part of a couple. How it would feel to have someone other than Branwell to take a walk with.”

As Connor reflects on everything he has learned so far, and as he gets further into his adolescence, he starts to develop romantic feelings that he never had before. Connor’s growth and maturation is a major motif in the story, and it is propelled both by the natural passing of time and by his dedication to helping Branwell.

“Silence does for thinking what a suspension bridge does for space—it makes connections.”

In this metaphor, Connor compares the power of silence to a bridge because silence allows Connor to listen, reflect, and observe. Rather than assuming or coming to fast conclusions, Connor hears from several people, has multiple discussions with his sister, and communicates with Branwell primarily through gestures and looks.

“You haven’t been careless; you have just never been warned about the changes that happen with time, and you haven’t been taught proper maintenance. But you know one thing—you are never going to put this gift on display again.”

In an extended metaphor, Margaret compares love and family relationships to a piece of ivory. Ivory requires careful and proper maintenance in order to stay in pristine condition, and Margaret feels that her father has not worked to maintain his relationship with her. She feels, too, that it is too late to recover from it because, like ivory, once love is spoiled, it cannot be repaired.

“Seeing other people’s happiness always makes us feel cheated.”

Jealousy is a powerful emotion that, in many ways, defines adolescence, as children who are growing up realize that not everyone is dealt the same hand in life. Connor becomes jealous of his own best friend, and Branwell becomes jealous of Tina; this negative emotion ultimately does little but bring out the worst in these characters.

“I’m not trying to be a good lawyer. I’m trying to be a good friend.”

Connor jokes about the unusual nature of his “position” with Branwell as his communicator and friend. While Connor’s job is usually something that a police officer or lawyer would undertake, instead, the task falls into the lap of the one person whose unspoken understandings with Branwell are the key to finding out the truth.

“Somewhere between you and grown-up is adolescence. You’ve done a lot of growing up in the weeks since Branwell was struck dumb. And you’re growing in the right direction.”

Margaret observes Connor’s growth as a person as he investigates Branwell’s case and extends constant, unconditional compassion and patience toward his best friend. In this way, the friendship between Connor and Branwell is what propels him to improve as a person and put his focus on something other than himself.

“Branwell always took care of her when he come home from school.”

Morris’s lazy way of speaking comes out in the absence of certain words and the improper conjugation of verbs. It is a stylistic choice that characterizes Morris as a less intelligent person, but this does not lessen the importance of his role in revealing the truth about Vivian.

“They didn’t hug or kiss when they said good night, but the air between them was gentle.”

Connor observes his sister and father finally breaking through the barrier that existed between them for years, and while he plays a role in this development, he takes no credit for it. Instead, Connor simply enjoys watching the reforging of his family. The end result is seen in Margaret’s decision to invite both her parents, as well as Connor’s mother, over for New Year’s dinner.

“In the movies, coming out of the vegetative state is very sudden and very glamorous…So much for Hollywood.”

Connor reflects on the deceptive nature of movies and the way that they influence people’s perspectives of the real world. Unlike in movies, Nikki’s recovery is slow and uncertain, and waiting for it is a central source of pain for everyone involved.

“She carried her into the bathroom to change her, and I heard the baby let out a real loud cry, then go quiet.”

When Morris reveals this crucial piece of information about Vivian and her interactions with Nikki on the day of the incident, it brings to light the important fact that Vivian is the one responsible for hurting Nikki, not Branwell. She not only manipulated and abused both Branwell and his sister but also used Branwell as a scapegoat for her foul acts.

“If you are not willing to tell what happened the day of that 911 call just because you are so ashamed of what happened on Columbus Day, you are stupid and stubborn and you deserve to let Vivian win again.”

Connor explodes at Branwell one last time, frustrated that he is unwilling to tell the lawyer the truth about Vivian. He sees Branwell’s continued silence as selfish at this point and knows that Branwell has it in him to resolve this horrible situation once and for all. Connor’s emotionally charged response does push Branwell in the right direction and may be exactly what he needs.

“Nikki looked up and smiled at Branwell, and the silence suddenly seemed musical. And then a sound riffed into that silence. It was Branwell. He was crying. His sobs were soft, cushioned by the long way they had come, the long time they had taken to arrive.”

The final scene of the story is full of relief, as Nikki appears healthy and Branwell feels accepted and fully integrated into this new family unit. He communicates through silence one last time, crying with joy for his sister’s recovery, his silence, and everything that led up to this day.