Sarah Roche-Mahdi's Character Analysis: Silence

In the book Silence by Sarah Roche-Mahdi, the author depicts the life of Silence, the daughter of Cador and Eufemie, who grows up and lives under the disguise of a boy under the rule of King Evan, a stern yet respected leader who prohibits women from inheriting any land or possessions. The portrayal of justice is notable throughout the novel as every character confronts this idea of justice at some point, and Roche-Mahdi clearly expresses that the responsibility to uphold justice often lies within those in positions of power. At the beginning of the novel, King Evan is introduced as the one who upholds justice in the realm by maintaining peace and chivalry (Roche-Mahdi 7). He is responsible for the well-being of his kingdom, and Roche-Mahdi

First, the power of authority heightens one’s desire to preserve their image. When the queen cries to the king that Silence assaulted her, the king immediately begins questioning how his image will be affected. He explains that he must “do his utmost to figure out a way to save his honor” in response to the event (197). His authority leads him to worry about how the general public will judge him for his actions. Furthermore, the king of France exhibits this same behavior when he receives the counterfeit letter from King Evan ordering Silence’s death. Upon reading this letter, the king of France begins to worry for his own reputation and spends much time debating with his council on how to safeguard his own honor (215-219). This power of authority heightens the kings’ desire to preserve their image above all else, and by doing so, this desire promotes selfish action. After regarding his honor, King Evan ultimately decides to not punish Silence for the alleged assault and even pretends it did not happen, simply for his own reputation (199). This desire to preserve his image leads him to act selfishly and prioritize his own welfare over others. The king of France is led down a similar path as he contemplates how to respond to

When Silence catches and confronts the minstrels about their plan to murder Silence out of greed, the minstrels are forced to own up to their scheme and they peacefully depart from Silence (163). This moment exemplifies justice because the minstrels directly admit their misconduct and take accountability for their failed murder attempt. Justice is also demonstrated towards the end of the book when the Queen’s extramarital affair and lies about Silence are revealed by Merlin (311-313). The Queen is directly held responsible for her actions and faces punishment for such actions. These examples showcase justice being served because people are taking accountability and facing consequences for their actions. On the contrary, injustice is also shown throughout the novel, which is simply when one does not take accountability for their actions. An example of this is when Count Cador orders for every minstrel to be “seized or captured” and then “burned or hanged” (147) after Silence goes missing with a couple of minstrels. Thousands of minstrels are punished for a crime that they did not commit, and the two minstrels who took Silence never face such consequences. Justice requires those to take accountability for their actions, and since the minstrels both fail to do so and deflect