The Child
Importance of silence
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Silence represents many kinds of broken relationships. For married couples like Emma and Paul, a deep silence exists between them because she has not told him about a very significant event that took place during her teenage years. The trauma and guilt continue to affect her and consequently their relationship. However, she has become so familiar with keeping it under wraps that she cannot be honest with the one person in whom she should be able to confide. Similarly, Angela should be able to share and talk through her grief over the baby with her husband Nick. But, because he has seemingly moved on and chose to not dwell on it any longer, she has become silent. She does not speak to him about the baby's birthday each year, and she cries only in private when he is not at home.