Silence and symbolic expression

Abstract

This essay develops a phenomenological perspective of silence and illustrates its principles through a study of the Vietnam Veterans Memorial. Traditionally viewed as the absence of speech, silence is discussed as a potential human response to all forms of symbolic expression. Encounters experienced as silent present a challenge; they also provide the opportunity for authentic self‐discovery, which has implications for the relationship of the individual to others and to the state. The Vietnam Veterans Memorial is discussed as an architectural instance of object‐silence. The meanings individuals find at the Memorial can be distinguished in terms of various public signs of understanding that characterize their interplay with the Memorial.