Whose Words Matter

The most prevalent theme in the novel is that of words and whose words matter. During a speech in the Epilogue, it is stated, “Words define us, they explain us, and, on occasion, they serve to control or isolate us. But what happens when words that are spoken are not recorded? What effects does that have on the speaker of those words?” (358).

These are the questions that Williams attempts to answer throughout this novel. Esme learns very early on that certain men are responsible for making the decisions about what is to be included in the dictionary. These are learned white men. At the time, this was to be expected. Esme learns that words are only supposed to be included that have been written down. She knows, however, that most of the published writing done historically is by men.

Throughout the novel, discussions are...