How Silence Changes the Slayer

After reading Kelly Kromer's article on "Hush," I became intrigued by things I hadn't paid much attention to in the (many) previous watchings of the episode. For example, Kromer talks about how Buffy has two things in her arsenal, her physical confrontation and her vocal confrontation. For any hero, sometimes kicking and punching isn't enough. This isn't always made clear in Buffy, as more often than not, this sort of physical combat suffices. Hush serves as a reminder that sometimes "...physical assault just isn't enough" (Kromer). Though it seems silly, this made me think of Buffy's little puns and quips and insults that she insists on saying as she slays. When these are lost, we lose a part of Buffy, and her slaying becomes more like hunting and killing, and we lose the comic relief that reminds us constantly that this girl with the weaponry is our hero. Kromer explains how, "As long as Buffy can refer to 'The Big Bad' as "Fruit Punch Mouth' the audience knows that she is still able to fight," (Kromer). It is a signal to the viewer that she is strong and is above the evil. In Hush, we lose this, and we get a look into Buffy's weaknesses and fears.

Though communication and speaking isn't what ultimately defeats the Gentlemen, Joss is still making a commentary on the importance of talking. However, the fact that Buffy is the screaming princess is very important. I think that this entire episode plays on fear. Losing your ability to talk is scary, and we witness things like Willow being scared she is deaf and Giles reaching out to both Willow and Buffy physically to quell their anxiety. Allowing Buffy to scream, even in a heroic way, demonstrates that even the slayer can be frightened, and that within this warrior is still a little princess. It brings me back to Inca Mummy Girl, where we talked about how both Ampata and Buffy were selected to serve and to save their people. Just because Buffy accepts her fate doesn't mean she doesn't get shaken up every now and then.

Kromer also makes a point about why the Gentlemen are called the Gentlemen, describing them as "old, white, Victorian, ultra-white, well-dressed, clean and precise." She describes how this taps into childhood fear of growing up and conforming to expectations of society. I think that this works well with the thematic lack of communication amongst excess talking. Buffy and Riley babble, Willow says that her wicca group is "all talk," and Xander has a problem with Anya saying things that should be kept private. This is childish, and all sorts of babble correspond to the idea that kids say the darndest thing. This is juxtaposed with the silent gestures of the Gentlemen, a symbol for the scary adult world where communication comes from minimal talking.


Kromer, Kelly. "Silence as a Symptom: A Psychoanalytic Reading of "Hush" Nineteen: The Online International Journal of Buffy Studies. 07 Mar. 2007. Web. 04 Oct. 2011.