A Wren Says

I sat on the plane trying to watch the movie. As Speak No Evil continued to play on my Delta seatback screen, I became more and more irritated with the protagonists. There were so many times they should have left the situation, fled the grasps of the mad man, but they didn’t. Instead, they just wrote things off. They should stay, in this situation that became increasingly dangerous, because what would they think? I mean, do you really want them to think you’re rude? It was so frustrating to watch how spineless the characters were. But now, on solid ground, the assessment turns inward. Would I really have acted any different?

The film acts as a commentary on the culture of politeness. You do everything you can to preserve the social norms, even if that means letting yourself be destroyed. If I am truly honest, I reenact scenes that would appear to be inspired by that movie all the time. How often do I keep silent about how others are affecting me? How often do I let myself stay in places, well past after I know it is no longer good for me? How often do I endure harm, all in the name of being “nice”?

If ever a quote were to sum up to lesson of the film best, it would be this one.

“If you are silent about your pain, they’ll kill you and say you enjoyed it.”—Zora Neale Hurston

May I have the courage to not stay silent.