The Power of Words

Through the novel's central theme of the power of words, the author shows how the misuse of words can lead to short-term destruction and misrepresentation, but that ultimately sincere words correctly directed hold the power to communicate truth.

For Harry, the fear that his own words may have the power to destroy his life or inflict harm on others haunts him throughout the novel. Frequently, this fear leads Harry to overestimate the potential for his words to have negative consequences and, as a result, makes him overly reclusive and secretive about his writing. Harry’s first real scare over the power of his words comes in Part 3 when one of his translations from a hearing where Lev is testifying is picked up and used in the Washington Post. Despite the fact that Harry did not make any mistakes in his translation, the thought...