Speech Sounds

by

Octavia E. Butler

A former Los Angeles police officer who has retained his ability to read and write, Obsidian is Rye’s companion and lover for much of the story. Obsidian is a kind and peaceful “protector” who is devoted to helping others and maintaining some semblance of public order, even though society and institutions have broken down in the wake of the illness. He is young, bearded, handsome, and relatively unimpaired—a rarity among men, whom the illness affected more than women. Obsidian meets Rye when he breaks up a fight on a bus she is riding; he keeps the peace with a gas bomb and refuses to engage when the bus driver tries to intimidate him. Impressed that Obsidian seems peaceful and unimpaired, Rye accepts his offer to ride in his car instead of continuing on the bus. Obsidian puts Rye at ease by following her directions and behaving respectfully towards her. When he asks (through gesture) if she would like to have sex, she accepts, and afterwards the two decide to become a couple. As they drive back to Rye’s home, where they plan to live together, they witness a man with a knife chasing a woman across the street. Obsidian pulls over to help, but the man murders the woman and kills Obsidian with Obsidian’s own gun. Afterwards, Rye reflects that—as a cop—Obsidian should have known how lethal domestic violence can be, although she recognizes that the knowledge wouldn’t have kept him from helping someone in need.

Obsidian Quotes in Speech Sounds

The Speech Sounds quotes below are all either spoken by Obsidian or refer to Obsidian. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Miscommunication and Violence  Theme Icon
).
Speech Sounds Quotes

The bearded man stood still, made no sound, refused to respond to clearly obscene gestures. The least impaired people tended to do this—stand back unless they were physically threatened and let those with less control scream and jump around. It was as though they felt it beneath them to be as touchy as the less comprehending.

Related Characters: Valerie Rye, Obsidian
Page Number: 93
Explanation and Analysis:

As a result, she never went unarmed. And in this world where the only likely common language was body language, being armed was often enough. She had rarely had to draw her gun or even display it

Related Characters: Valerie Rye, Obsidian
Related Symbols: Guns
Page Number: 93
Explanation and Analysis:

Obsidian lifted her hand and looked under it, then folded the map and put it back on the dashboard. He could read, she realized belatedly. He could probably write, too. Abruptly, she hated him—deep, bitter hatred. What did literacy mean to him—a grown man who played cops and robbers? But he was literate and she was not. She never would be. She felt sick to her stomach with hatred, frustration, and jealousy. And only a few inches from her hand was a loaded gun.

Related Characters: Valerie Rye, Obsidian
Related Symbols: Guns
Page Number: 98
Explanation and Analysis:

She nodded and watched his milder envy come and go. Now both had admitted what it was not safe to admit, and there had been no violence. He tapped his mouth and forehead and shook his head. He did not speak or comprehend spoken language. The illness had played with them, taking away, she suspected, what each valued most.

Related Characters: Valerie Rye, Obsidian
Page Number: 99
Explanation and Analysis:

Obsidian had been the protector, had chosen that role for who knew what reason. Perhaps putting on an obsolete uniform and patrolling the empty streets had been what he did instead of putting a gun into his mouth. And now that there was something worth protecting, he was gone.

Related Characters: Valerie Rye, Obsidian
Related Symbols: Guns
Page Number: 107
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Speech Sounds LitChart as a printable PDF.
Speech Sounds PDF

Obsidian Quotes in Speech Sounds

The Speech Sounds quotes below are all either spoken by Obsidian or refer to Obsidian. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
Miscommunication and Violence  Theme Icon
).
Speech Sounds Quotes

The bearded man stood still, made no sound, refused to respond to clearly obscene gestures. The least impaired people tended to do this—stand back unless they were physically threatened and let those with less control scream and jump around. It was as though they felt it beneath them to be as touchy as the less comprehending.

Related Characters: Valerie Rye, Obsidian
Page Number: 93
Explanation and Analysis:

As a result, she never went unarmed. And in this world where the only likely common language was body language, being armed was often enough. She had rarely had to draw her gun or even display it

Related Characters: Valerie Rye, Obsidian
Related Symbols: Guns
Page Number: 93
Explanation and Analysis:

Obsidian lifted her hand and looked under it, then folded the map and put it back on the dashboard. He could read, she realized belatedly. He could probably write, too. Abruptly, she hated him—deep, bitter hatred. What did literacy mean to him—a grown man who played cops and robbers? But he was literate and she was not. She never would be. She felt sick to her stomach with hatred, frustration, and jealousy. And only a few inches from her hand was a loaded gun.

Related Characters: Valerie Rye, Obsidian
Related Symbols: Guns
Page Number: 98
Explanation and Analysis:

She nodded and watched his milder envy come and go. Now both had admitted what it was not safe to admit, and there had been no violence. He tapped his mouth and forehead and shook his head. He did not speak or comprehend spoken language. The illness had played with them, taking away, she suspected, what each valued most.

Related Characters: Valerie Rye, Obsidian
Page Number: 99
Explanation and Analysis:

Obsidian had been the protector, had chosen that role for who knew what reason. Perhaps putting on an obsolete uniform and patrolling the empty streets had been what he did instead of putting a gun into his mouth. And now that there was something worth protecting, he was gone.

Related Characters: Valerie Rye, Obsidian
Related Symbols: Guns
Page Number: 107
Explanation and Analysis: