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Part 4, Chapter 8
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in The Silent Patient, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Empathy, Identification, and Boundaries
Tragedy and Destiny
Honesty vs. Deception
Childhood Trauma
Silence vs. “The Talking Cure”
Summary
Analysis
In their next session, Theo tells Alicia what Paul has revealed to him. He affirms her feelings: “what your father said is tantamount to psychic murder,” he assures her. “He killed you.” For the first time, Alicia is completely engaged and responsive with her eyes. But Theo emphasizes that unless she can start talking, this will be the last time they see each other. So in a voice “like a creaking gate that needed oiling,” Alicia begins to speak.
In this landmark exchange, Theo’s deep understanding of Alicia’s childhood trauma makes her feel the trust she needs to speak. But while this moment is triumphant, it also reflects the many boundaries that Theo has transgressed. Moreover, Alicia speaks only because Theo echoes her exact words (specifically the word “killed”) back to her. Does Alicia want to communicate, or does she just want to have her own ideas affirmed?
Themes
