The Ethics of Silence: An Interdisciplinary Case Analysis Approach

Silence is often misunderstood as just a lack of speech. It holds deep ethical, emotional, and cultural importance in human experience. This paper uses The Ethics of Silence: An Interdisciplinary Case Analysis Approach as its main theoretical basis to look at silence as a conscious moral and philosophical choice. By closely examining Perumal Murugan’s trilogy: One Part Woman (2018), A Lonely Harvest (2019), and Trial by Silence (2019), the study investigates how silence serves both as resistance and restoration in the characters' social and personal lives. Grounded in Jean-Luc Nancy’s idea of “being-with” and Sivaram’s view of affective subjectivity, the analysis shows that silence does not simply indicate withdrawal or passivity. Instead, it acts as a form of ethical communication that reshapes agency and relationships. Murugan’s main characters use silence to navigate their identities, maintain their sense of self, and challenge systems of power. By connecting literary, philosophical, and ethical viewpoints, this paper presents silence as an interdisciplinary concept that crosses linguistic and cultural lines. In the end, silence in Murugan’s stories does not represent emptiness or submission. It reflects a thoughtful moral position—showing inner strength, compassion, and human dignity in the face of societal pressure and exclusion.

Silence, Ethics, Interdisciplinary, Resistance

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