The Silence of the Girls 

    The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker 2018 (1)

Overview 

             The Silence of the Girls was a book set during the Trojan War about the life of a Trojan woman, Briese. She was a noblewoman with a life till her city of what they called "lesbos", was overthrown by Agamemnon and his men. Briese then became a slave after her nineteen years of freedom, to nonetheless but the man she watched kill her four brothers, Achilles. The book changes narrators through both Achilles and Briese throughout the whole book. During the whole duration of the book, we learn about Achilles' struggles with his mother the Greek God Thetis abandoning him at seven. We learn about his love for the sea, and his best friend Patroclus who came into his life just after his mother left. Achilles refused to fight in the war to take Troy over Briese being taken from him by Agamemnon. He didn't join the war till Hector killed Patroclus. Achilles then made his way over to Troy to kill Hector himself dragging his body around the walls of Troy. This book ended with Briese pregnant, the overthrow and Troy, and last but not least Achilles being killed by Hector's son Paris. 

Main Characters

Brises-

An oil painting of Brises (2)

Brises was once a queen. "Her father married her to the King of Lyrnessus Mynes at only 14". (4)  During the war, she had to watch as men like Achilles and the other Greek men killed her husband and all four of her brothers. Sense Brises was only 19 when Lyrnessus was destroyed she was known as young and beautiful. She was one of the special prizes and was awarded to Achilles for all of his killing in the war. Brises grew a found love for Achilles's closet companion Patroclus as he was very nice to her. On her first night there he even brought her a glass of wine before Achilles raped her. She grew to not hate her life with Achilles till it was all taken away by Agamemnon. For Agamemnon to return Chryseis he needed a new prize. "Or yours, Achilles". (Barker 160) Right then their Brises had been traded again to a man known for losing interest in women and just sending them out to his men to have. Brises then doesn't get to go back to Achilles till he agrees to fight in the war, and this doesn't happen till his beloved friend dies in battle. Briseis's story ends by marrying Achilles' companion Altimus hours before he dies. He looks at her and says "He'll be kind to you. And he'll take care of the child". (Barker 469)

Achilles- 

Achilles statue with his armor (3) 

Achilles was the son of a king and a God. He was known as the greatest of the Greek warriors. He was a very hot-tempered boy. His mom Thetis abandoned him when he was only seven. His best friend Patroclus was sent by his father to become Achilles' friend since he wasn't able to make any of his own. Rumors like "who believed Achilles and Patroclus were lovers" (Barker 123) "Perhaps they were lovers" (Barker 123), and "just to stare at each other--- like lovers" (Barker 405). He killed Hector in revenge for him killing Patroclus. A few days later Hector's father came back to the Greek camp hoping he could get Hector's body back for a proper burial. "Achilles finds that Priam reminds him of Peleus (his father) and decides to return the body".  (4) He married Briese to Alcimus to free and protect her after his death".  (4) Death is surly what came to Achilles as he set off to finish off Troy. This is how he got the saying Achilles heel. "Others say Paris shot him in the heel, the only part of his body that was vulnerable to wounds." (Barker 470)

Symbols 

The Sea- 

The sea for Achilles represents an object of his mother. The sea is where his mother lived and left him. It made him both angry and safe at the same time. Briese on the other hand used the sea as an escape from the life of slavery. "It causes him anguish and even provokes him to behave aggressively towards Briseis when he smells saltwater in her hair or takes it on her skin".  (6) The first word he had ever spoken to her was the night after she went into the sea and didn't have time to take a bath before he summoned her. Achilles looked at her and said, "What's that smell". (Barker 76) He began to lick the salt water off of Briese. She said at one point he "was like an angry child". (Barker 77). The sea represents both an escape but also a way to end their misery. "The sea represents a method of suicide but neither...fully surrender to drowning". (6)

The Green Rock-

This rock is something that Briese found on the beach the first day she got to the Greek camp. She had plunged herself into the sea till she saw Achilles swimming in the distance and got scared and left. While she was trying to sneak away, she felt something sharp on her foot, when she looked down her foot was bleeding. She then found a rock under her foot that had green moss on it, and sharp, unlike all the other rock on the sand. "There was a relief in that, making blood flow out of my numbed skin". (Barker 63) This rock represents the first time she was able to feel anything but numb after having to leave Lyrnesssus. It was a memory of "the girl I'd once been and could never be again". (Barker 64)

Themes 

One of the major themes in The Silence of the Girls is slavery and dehumanization. "People who have been enslaved view slaves as objects rather than people". (4) This is shown a lot by Briseis as she was a Trojan queen one night. Then they just give her to their best warrior as a prize instead of a person. After thinking he has the perfect right to rape her "he compares raping her to trying on a suit he won in battle".  (4) Women in this book or in any book at that time were not given the same rights as men were. While Brises was a Queen before she knew how she should have been treated. She fought this internal battle till she said, "The change started in me" (Barker73) It wasn't just Brises that was fighting this battle it was all women, and still women till this day. The themes this book shows are crazy to see how long they lasted for slavery for example lasted years after. 

Conclusion

In conclusion, this whole book focuses on the mistreatment of women through both women's and men's eyes. On the way, they were taken from their homes and sold to any men who wanted them. This story not only was able to show Briseis feeling as well as Achilles feelings. Though women may not be fighting the same battles, women to this day are still fighting to have equal rights. All and all this were a very good book and very easy to read. 

Works Cited 

1) Barker, Pat, et al. The Silence of the Girls: A Novel. Random House Audio, 2018.

2) “Image of Detail of Achilles Returning Briseis to Agamemnon, from the House by Roman, (1st Century AD).” Image of Detail of Achilles Returning Briseis to Agamemnon, from the House by Roman, (1st Century AD), www.bridgemanimages.com/en-US/roman/detail-of-achilles-returning-briseis-to-agamemnon-from-the-house-of-the-tragic-poet-pompeii-fresco/fresco/asset/491819?offline=1. Accessed 27 Mar. 2025.

3) Kosmatka, Artur. “Statue of the Greek Hero Achilles Editorial Photography - Image of European, Mediterranean: 184675857.” Dreamstime, 7 Sept. 2016, www.dreamstime.com/achilleion-palace-corfu-island-greece-sep-statue-greek-hero-achilles-statue-greek-hero-achilles-image184675857.

4) LitCharts. “Slavery and Dehumanization Theme Analysis.” LitCharts, www.litcharts.com/lit/the-silence-of-the-girls/themes/slavery-and-dehumanization. Accessed 27 Mar. 2025.

5) “The Silence of the Girls by Pat Barker.” By Pat Barker - Penguin Books Australia, www.penguin.com.au/books/the-silence-of-the-girls-9780241983201. Accessed 27 Mar. 2025.

6) “The Silence of the Girls Symbols & Objects.” BookRags, BookRags, www.bookrags.com/studyguide-the-silence-of-the-girls/symbolsobjects.html#gsc.tab=0. Accessed 27 Mar. 2025.