Link's Silence In Warriors Don T Cry

In Warriors Don’t Cry, Melba is more devastated by Link’s silence in public than the hurtful things he says. One example of how Link’s silence impacts Melba is when she realizes that he is friends with Andy. When Melba sees Link with Andy,“it both frightened and saddened [her] to see Link among those hoodlums. [She] stared at him in disbelief and anger. Had he pretended to be a nice person when he was just one of them. [She] struggles to regain [her] composure” (258). Melba is so confused about everything going on in her life at the time, that she is having difficulty comprehending truth versus lie. It is understandable for Melba to be confused when it comes to Link’s personality, especially since he has significance in her life, and has helped her through tough times Additionally, the

This is almost entirely counterintuitive. Additionally, when under the pressure of society, Link takes his racist comments over the top, often referring to Melba and the other Little Rock Nine by the “n-word” and other racial slurs. For instance, in attempt to distract his so called “friends” from harming Mebla, he exclaims “You like the way I redecorated the n*****s dress. Looks better than it did before, don’t you think?” (284). In Melba’s eyes, what hurts the most is not so much what he says, but the fact that he does not defend her. Even though Link said these things to protect Melba, she was still hurt that he did not attempt to assist her in any other way. In addition, he pretends to be a segregationist, when in reality, he is a nice guy. However, it is hard for Melba to grasp onto that idea given that he insults her publically. It can be said that Link’s words are more impactful to Melba than his lack of words. It is hard to say such terrible things without them having any truth