I found it interesting when Mr. Lovas remarked that silence in Hemingway's stories was there for a reason. For example, in "Three Day Blow," Nick and his friend Bill have a good time talking and drinking until a sensitive topic comes up. Bill keeps speaking of the sensitive issue while Nick says nothing. I learned that this is not because Nick has no opinion or feeling, but that there is some kind of profound thought stirring within. It is funny because in a sense I see silence as an abscence of feeling, but now I can understand its complexity.

After Mr. Lovas' remark, I began to become more aware of silence and myself, and how often times I am quite silent when I am most serious. I find it quite interesting that silence can sometimes mean more than a thousand words.
Posted by Kimiko Yama on 2/4/04; 10:39:37 PM from the dept.