No Talking

“Could something as simple as not talking change the way your mind worked? Seemed like it must have been good for Gandhi. But what would it do for a regular kid in New Jersey?”

Gandhi’s weekly day of silence inspires Dave to try not talking. He learns quickly that such a practice is harder than it looks, and, though it does bring changes, they’re not the ones he expects. The effect is powerfully transformative in completely surprising ways.

“Dave had a long, long list of interests, and he had plenty of opinions. Plus, talking always made Dave feel like he was in charge. It was sort of like being a police officer out in the middle of traffic. As long as he did the talking, the traffic went the way he wanted it to. This was especially useful if insults started flying around. When it came to dishing out the put-downs, Dave was a pro. But this lunchtime, all the other loudmouths were getting a chance to spout off.”

While not talking, Dave must release the usual control he exerts over the other kids at school. Much of who he is as a person is tied up in his words; uttering them gives him a sense of identity, while staying silent forces him to abandon his self-perception as group leader. The temptation to say something challenges his resolve to honor his vow of silence.

“I said, I bet if you had to shut up for five minutes, the top of your head would explode. Like a volcano. From all the hot gas that usually comes out of your mouth. When you talk and talk and talk and never stop talking. Yeah. That’s what I said. To you.”

Fed up with Lynsey’s yammering at lunch, Dave cannot resist insulting her. This insult then leads to the development of the silence competition, setting the events of the plot in motion. Ironically, Dave’s outburst violates his own vow of silence—so his put-down of Lynsey might just as easily apply to him.