58 pages • 1 hour read
Mia SheridanArcher's Voice
Fiction | Novel | Adult | Published in 2014A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Themes
Varied Forms of Communication
Content Warning: This section of the guide discusses domestic violence, attempted rape, molestation, gun violence, and violence against children.
In Archer’s Voice, Mia Sheridan forms a commentary on the varied forms of interpersonal communication. In a sense, Bree and the townspeople must learn to speak Archer’s language. Archer’s inability to speak hinders his integration into Pelion society. The tragedy surrounding his injury makes the townspeople uncomfortable and unwilling to interact with him. Bree’s arrival and knowledge of sign language allows Archer to open the door to communicating with people; this aspect of the novel hence presents the tropes of the savior without a disability. At first Bree acts as a teacher and interpreter to Archer. When Archer first comes to visit Bree at the diner, Bree signs for him and he is able to order a coffee and communicate with Maggie, Melanie, and Liza (225-26).
Sheridan establishes a relationship between setting and communication in the novel. When Archer leaves Bree in Chapter 30, he goes into the world and learns that he can communicate with others without Bree’s help. Outside of Pelion, the world is ignorant of his past and trauma. This eliminates many elements of discomfort with Archer’s tragic past. Archer befriends Luis, who is looking for someone to listen, and Archer meets his daughter who learns some sign so that she can communicate with Archer. Archer’s journey to a different setting represents his expansion beyond his geographical and communicative parameters from the beginning of the novel. This suggests that the lack of inclusivity in Pelion prevented his ability to communicate, rather than his speech impairment.
Bree also finds more intimate ways to communicate with Archer. The use of touch and lovemaking creates a physical form of communication between Archer and Bree. Archer is, at first, learning how to pleasure Bree through her direct instruction. Archer’s effort to work through his feelings for Bree are symbolized by his sexual actions and techniques. Bree and Archer’s physical relationship is reflective of Archer’s journey to maturity.
Other characters in the novel also reflect varied forms of communication. Norm, who runs the diner in which Bree works, has his own indirect type of communication. Sheridan writes:
Norm sat down with me at the break table later that day when we were closing up after all the customers had gone, a piece of my pumpkin pie in front of him, and took a big bite. ‘You make the best pumpkin pie I’ve ever had,’ he said, and I started crying right there at the break table because I knew that was Norm’s way of telling me he loved me (323).
Other townspeople make an effort to communicate in their own way. Victoria, however, shows the dangers of not communicating. When Travis finds out that Victoria has been keeping things from him, he ultimately runs his mother out of town and away from her son.
Peace: Finding a Point of Resolution for Past Traumas
The narrative of Archer’s Voice builds toward Bree and Archer finding peace after traumatic experiences. Bree’s journey toward this peace happens much quicker than Archer’s. Bree’s trauma is recent compared to Archer’s, and Bree has the advantage of worldly experience and a community to help her. Bree moves from her hometown and the people who remind her of the trauma. In a clear space, unhindered by gossip and others’ discomfort, she processes her feelings. The reader sees Bree continually talking herself through her trauma by telling herself that she is going to be alright.
Bree’s love for Archer ultimately helps her to heal. Bree is able to recognize her love for Archer because she has been in other relationships in which she expressed and experienced love. The first morning Bree that does not have a flashback, Sheridan portrays a major point in Bree’s character development since the reader can see that her healing process has begun. After confiding in Archer, Bree feels the weight of her past lift from her shoulders (121-22). Although her father’s killer has not yet come to justice, the conflict surrounding her trauma begins to fade and she is able to be presently happy and optimistic about the future.
Archer’s journey to this resolution or point of acceptance is hindered by his environment, isolation, and inexperience. Since he was seven years old, Archer’s only relationship was with Uncle Nate. Uncle Nate was affected by PTSD and his behavior led to the townspeople ostracizing both him and Archer. Archer’s house is a symbol of this isolation and he cannot find peace after his trauma while he is tethered to his home and hometown. While Bree’s arrival begins the process of Archer’s healing, it is not until Archer leaves Pelion and fends for himself that his character development leads toward him finding peace. The confluence of Archer’s integration into Pelion society, his attempt at life outside of his hometown, and Bree’s help all lead to his eventual point of resolution, wherein he can live happily in the present and look to the future with hope.
Small Town Love
Sheridan’s novels frequently explore love for small town life. Pelion’s community of locals is reflective of the classic, American “hometown feel.” Pelion local life shows the interconnectivity of a community. Through Archer’s rejection by the people of Pelion, Sheridan suggests that this lifestyle is not without its flaws or challenges. Through the culture and friendships that Bree observes while living in Pelion, Sheridan portrays how small towns work to include but also exclude. Bree, who came from the city of Cincinnati, finds this interconnectivity refreshing and quaint, but she also questions how one small misconception, industriously circulated through gossip, can have devastating effects on an individual who does not fit in to the town’s standards. Archer is the clear victim of gossip and misconceptions, one being his ability to hear. The people of Pelion wrongly inform Bree that Archer is deaf. The incorrect rumor about Archer led him into years of isolation as people did not attempt to speak with him. However, when the people of Pelion see Bree interacting with Archer, they reevaluate their perspective and many attempt to include him. This inclusion is what ultimately saves the town from Victoria Hale’s plan to build condos.
Sheridan parallels Archer and Bree’s story with the older generation of Hales to embed a generational sense of community in this theme. The townspeople had a deep love for Archer’s parents, Alyssa and Connor. In a sense, their rejection of Archer was a communal effort to repress the loss of those people for whom they cared. Much like Bree and Archer, the people of Pelion must find a way to cope with the loss of these people so that they can look forward. It is not until the people of Pelion begin to see Archer as one of them that they revisit the tragic events surrounding his injury and question the details of the deaths of Alyssa, Marcus, and Connor. In a sense, the future of the town is dependent on their ability to process and resolve this tragedy that involves several generations.
Sheridan communicates to the reader that certain forms of love are not individual, but communal. The community of Pelion failed in their duty to love and include Archer after he lost his parents. This small act of selfishness almost costs them their homes and livelihoods. When Archer finally takes over the town at the end of the novel, the reader sees how the dynamic has changed. Community members such as Norm and the librarian learn some sign language in an effort to include Archer (358).
