Show Me a Sign

Storytelling is a recurring motif in the novel that relates to the theme of defining deafness. Early in the book, Mary says, “While I walk, I make up a story to please myself. It’s something I’ve done for as long as I can remember. If I’m restless in bed, it helps me fall asleep. If I’m bored, it entertains me. Sometimes it helps me make sense of things that lack sense” (19-20). During her most difficult experiences, Mary makes up stories because they help explain a confusing world in ways that she can understand. They also help her to imagine a better outcome than her circumstances suggest. Storytelling is born of the imagination.

Aside from the psychological benefit that Mary derives from making up stories, she is equally enthralled by the stories of others. In describing other storytellers, she emphasizes how a story told through sign is more accessible than one encased in words. Ezra illustrates this point when he signs Reverend Lee’s sermon about Noah’s Ark: “Ezra Brewer is having good sport imitating the wind and sea that rocked Noah’s Ark, just as a storm batters the windows and shakes the rafters of the Meeting House now. He is very lively in his interpretation of the birds and beasts” (88).