Silences by Tillie Olsen
"Silences" by Tillie Olsen is a thought-provoking exploration of the barriers that hinder artistic expression, particularly for marginalized voices. Rather than adhering to traditional literary criticism, Olsen presents her work as a source of encouragement for those who feel oppressed or voiceless due to external circumstances. She emphasizes the importance of fostering creativity, particularly among women, while acknowledging that the challenges she describes affect individuals across various sexual, racial, and economic backgrounds.
In her analysis, Olsen references the "mute inglorious Miltons" to illustrate how many talented individuals remain unheard not because of a lack of skill, but due to unsupportive environments. She highlights the significance of folk and oral traditions as rich sources of creativity that often go unrecognized. Through her writing, Olsen aims to validate personal experiences and to inspire others to articulate their own narratives. By shedding light on the factors that contribute to artistic silences, she demystifies the discrepancies in literary recognition and encourages a broader appreciation for the complexities of individual expression.
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Subject Terms
Silences by Tillie Olsen
First published: 1978
The Work
Silences is about circumstances that foster and that thwart artistic expression. It is written not in the vein of traditional literary criticism but as a sourcebook for those who have yet to find their voices or who have been silenced by events outside their control. It is, as Tillie Olsen writes, “written to re-dedicate and encourage.”
One of her aims is to prod women to foster their creativity and productivity, but she is aware that the conditions she is describing cut across sexual, racial, and economic lines. To support her point, early in the book she makes reference to the “mute inglorious Miltons,” whose situations conspire against their creative urges. She demonstrates this contention by pointing to the richness found in the folk and oral traditions. It is not, Olsen argues, for lack of talent that these creators remain unknown, but for lack of a sustaining environment that would allow them the time and confidence to find their voices.
For Olsen, writing is more than giving voice to one’s own muse. It is a means of legitimating and clarifying others’ realities by providing another perspective. For this reason, Olsen focuses attention on women writers, and her own creative writing often focuses on domestic situations. To her, common and ordinary events that are easy to dismiss are the most telling.
Silences is informed by an abiding humanism and a belief that by articulating one’s own vision, one cannot only overcome one’s past mistakes but also can make it easier for others to do so. For this reason, Olsen urges others to appreciate the value of their private reflections and imaginings and transform them into concrete expressions. Her hope seems to be that by making the formerly silenced aware of the fact that others have faced similar circumstances and, in some instances, overcome them, they will experience a new sense of validation and purpose.
In cataloging the factors that contribute to silences, Olsen has done much to demystify the circumstances that make it possible for some to be prolific while others must struggle to get a hearing. She has also done much to explain the silences that often follow a promising first novel and the relative obscurity of authors who have published extensively and yet are virtual unknowns to the majority of the reading public.
Bibliography
Faulkner, Mara. Protest and Possibility in the Writing of Tillie Olsen. Charlottesville: University Press of Virginia, 1993. Following an introduction that explains her critical perspective, Faulkner advances a seamless analysis that integrates the many aspects of Olsen’s writings. Throughout the book, she presents Olsen as a beacon of hope, liberation, and challenge. Insights into and drawn from Silences inform the entire volume, but chapter 5 (“Language and Silence”) is especially pertinent to Olsen’s analysis of the unnatural silences that cross generational, class, and sexual boundaries.
Howe, Florence. “Literacy and Literature.” PLMA 89, no. 3 (May, 1974): 433-441. Howe addresses the importance of a diversified canon, citing studies and personal experiences that demonstrate the stultifying impact of male-biased reading materials on adolescents and college students. Her observations reinforce and provide a context in which to approach Silences.
Orr, Elaine Neil. Tillie Olsen and a Feminist Spiritual Vision. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1987. Orr approaches Olsen’s work from a theological perspective that revolves around Olsen’s life-affirming vision and faith in transforming possibilities. Chapter 6, “When the Angel Gains a Voice,” is the most important chapter vis-à-vis Silences. It advances the argument that Olsen sees creativity as an expression of the sacred or holy.
Pearlman, Mickey, and Abby H. P. Werlock. Tillie Olsen. Boston: Twayne, 1991. Pearlman and Werlock set out to balance what they see as a sometimes overly adulatory treatment of Olsen’s work. The book contains a useful chronology that is followed by both a 1984 interview/essay and a biographical sketch. Their critique of Silences is weakened by a reliance on textual summary and secondary quotation, but they include both a useful bibliography and helpful footnotes.
Rose, Ellen Cronan. “Limning: Or, Why Tillie Writes.” The Hollins Critic 13, no. 2 (April, 1976): 1-13. Rose explores what she perceives to be a disparity between the aesthetic vision that shapes Olsen’s essay “Silences” as well as her fiction and the polemical tone that she perceives in “One of Twelve.” She suggests that Olsen has sacrificed her vision and understanding in support of a feminist rhetoric.
Shulman, Alix Kates. “Overcoming Silences: Teaching Writing for Women.” Harvard Educational Review 49, no. 4 (November, 1979): 527-533. Infusing her critique of Silences with her own experiences, Shulman concludes that the work functions as a multigenerational writers’ workshop through which trusted collaborators share revelatory experiences.