Silence and Fractals in “The Sisters”

Mike and Vicki agreed to write two independent ten-page essays on "The Sisters" and to exchange them. They met in a Pizza Express in the Bloomsbury section of London to comment on one another's drafts. Vicki liked Mike's essay, but Mike had reservations about Vicki's: she had outlined a way of understanding the damage that the story alludes to but does not identify, which is exactly what Mike discouraged readers from doing. Moreover, Vicki's tone was passionate, in sharp contrast to the dispassionate observational acuity that Mike appreciated in the boy and believed the critic should emulate. Vicki ruminated over Mike's comments for several months, trying to find a way of approaching the story that might accommodate both their perspectives. This essay is the result of that process.