Mutism

Mutism

pg 96, "I imagine... Mutism seems to spring from a conflict between wanting to say something, and knowing that if you do say it the consequences will be disastrous. So you resolve it by making physically impossible for yourself to speak. And for the private soldier the consequences of speaking his mind are always going to be far wrse than they would be for an officer." - Rivers

Dictionary.com definition: an inability to speak, due to a physical defect, conscious refusal, or psychogenic inhibition.

Mutism is a social anxiety disorder where people who were once able to speak are now unable to. This could be due to a specific event in one's life. For some, they are not able to speak at all for a period of time. For others, they get increasingly uncomfortable in certain situations and thus, become completely silent. While the person with the disorder may be thinking a specific thought & wanting to express it in words, they are simply unable to. This disorder does not come from the lack of knowledge of a certain language although at times it is most evident when a person feels uncomfortable in a situation.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_mutism

This topic relates to the book because Prior & Callan both had speech issues following thier time involved in the war. They were both treated for it in completely different ways. EWG