Breaking Your Silence

> "*The brooding Dwayne has one dream: To be a pilot and fly away from his parents in a U.S. Force jet. His dream is shot down, though, when he realizes he's colorblind and cannot be a pilot. Crushed, Dwayne at last breaks his self-inflicted vow of silence and takes his anger out on everyone else. With his family now at a loss for words, the Hoovers are left at a crossroads. However, through one little gesture, Olive casts a ray of sunshine on her gloomy brother, letting him know that his family always has his back.*"
> ― Rebecca Brayton on Dwayne Hoover breaking his silence on Watchmojo's Top 10 Sad Moments in Comedy Movies.
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Just like in reality, in a story, when things are overwhelming and/or if you've been through a lot, it isn't enough keeping it to yourself. The time will come when you have to let it all out.

This is when the hero/heroine literally or metaphorically breaks his/her silence. Or, in other words, revealing what they haven't talked about for a long time and letting out their feelings, especially when they've been going through a great deal of pressure and/or are forced to keep what they're feeling to themselves.

The hero can break his silence when:

* Getting into an argument.
* Revealing his/her backstory.
* Telling someone the truth.
* Calling someone out.

This usually happens when the hero/heroine is exposed, reaches his/her breaking point, tells someone how he/she really feels, and/or reaches the point where he/she is crossing the road from childhood to adulthood.

In other cases, the hero/heroine can break his/her Stockholm syndrome, calling out and standing up to his/her captive.

## Noteworthy Examples

### Film

* As an adult, Chiron Harris breaks his silence before reconciling with his negligent, drug-addicted mother.
* Po does this twice - in the first film, when he argues with Shifu for not believing in him, and in the second film when he admits that he mistakenly let Lord Shen go because he was there the last time he saw his family.
	+ In the third film, when learning that Kai is on his way to attack the panda village, Li Shan reveals that he does know how to use the power of chi and that he lied to Po from the very beginning.
* Merida breaks her silence in front of her mother as she argues with her over her future and arranged marriage.
* Rango breaks his silence when Rattlesnake Jake humiliates him in front of the townsfolk of Dirt, revealing that he was lying to them all along about being a hero just to fit in.
* Dwayne Hoover literally breaks his vow of silence when he realizes he's colorblind and can't be a pilot.
* Charlie Watson breaks her silence during an argument with her mother over trying to cope with losing her father.
* Ariel breaks her silence when she admits to her father that she loves Prince Eric during their confrontation.
* After returning home from running away, Riley Andersen finally breaks her silence, admitting that she misses her old home in San Francisco. To her surprise, her parents do the same thing, sharing their homesickness with her.
* Belle breaks her silence as she calls out the Beast for his temper.
* Rapunzel breaks her silence as she stands up to her now ex0mother figure Mother Gothel for using her for her magic hair.
* Nakoma breaks her silence by confessing to her best friend Pocahontas that she sent Kocoum after her, after John Smith was unjustly arrested by Chief Powhatan and accused of the warrior's murder.
* Daniel Hillard breaks his silence as he reveals to the court that he was cross-dressing just to be with his wife and kids.
* Eddie Valiant breaks his silence, telling Roger Rabbit that a toon murdered his brother, which is why he despised toons ever since.
* Branch breaks his silence as he reveals that singing with his grandmother caught the attention of the Bergens, leading to her death. Since then, he banished all music from his life and acted cynical.
* Melody breaks her silence in front of her mother, revealing that she hates being confined from the sea.
* Charlie B. Barkin and Itchy break their silence as they argue, leading Charlie to reveal that he was using Anne-Marie for his own gain, all the while bent on getting revenge on Carface for murdering him.
* Dracula breaks his silence in front of Mavis as he reveals that the village he took her to see wasn't real, as he built it and created the angry mob to scare her into staying in the hotel in a desperate (and misguided) attempt to protect her.
* Katherine Johnson breaks her silence as she calls out NASA for go making her for miles to use a segregated restroom.
* After being revealed as a woman by the Imperial Army, Mulan breaks her silence, explaining that she disguised herself as a man and joined the army to save her father's life.

### Books

* Sirius Black reveals that he didn't kill Harry Potter's parents; Peter Pettigrew betrayed them and framed him for the murder.
* Dave Caros reveals to Solomon Gruber that he has to go back to the orphanage because the carving given to him by his father was stolen by Mr. Doom.
* In *The Berenstain Bears and Too Much Birthday*, Sister Bear breaks her silence after going under stress at her birthday party. She bursts into tears, revealing to Mama Bear that it isn't fair because she was the first one out in Going to Jerusalem, she didn't like Spin the Bottle, she didn't get her Pin-the-Tail-on-the-Donkey prize, her cousin Fred squirted her new birthday blouse; she got bounced on the pony, got sick on the merry-go-round, and had too many guests.

### TV Shows

* Phil Shortman breaks his silence as he finally admitted that he's scared of 6th Grade to his grandson, Arnold.
* The Cutie Mark Crusaders break their silence as they finally vent their frustrations to their older sisters, saying *they* were supposed to design and drive their own carts in the Derby and that the older ponies ruined things for everyone due to their selfishness.

### Video Games

* Princess Zelda breaks her silence to Link about her struggles with her chosen destiny she is having a rough time fulfilling it, with her being unable to figure out how to unlock her power and burdened by her duties in *Breath of the Wild.*

## Quotes

> "*There's no bathroom for me here. (Al Harrison: What do you mean, there's no bathroom here?) There is no bathroom. There are no colored bathrooms in this building or any building outside the West Campus, which is half a mile away. Did you know that? I have to walk to Timbuktu just to relieve myself, and I can’t use one of the handy bikes. Picture that, Mr. Harrison. My uniform, skirt below my knees, my heels, and a simple string of pearls. Well, I don’t own pearls. Lord knows you don’t pay coloreds enough to afford pearls! And I work like a dog, day and night, living off of coffee from a pot NONE OF YOU WANNA TOUCH! So, excuse me if I have to go to the restroom a few times a day.*"
> ― Katherine Johnson breaking her silence.
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> "*I can explain. (Chi-Fu, now shocked: So it's true!) Shang! (Chi-Fu hauls Mulan out of the tent by her arm.) (Chi-Fu: I knew there was something wrong with you.) (He pulls out Mulan's hair tie.) (Chi-Fu: A woman!) (Yao, Ling and Chein-Po stare in shock.) (Chi-Fu tosses Mulan to the ground) (Chi-Fu, furious: Treacherous snake!) My name is Mulan. I did it to save my father. (Chi-Fu: High treason!) I didn't mean for it to go this far. (Chi-Fu: [shouting in Mulan's face]: ULTIMATE DISHONOR!) It was the only way! Please believe me!* "
> ― Mulan breaking her silence.
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> "*I have to get to him. (Tigress: Then tell me why!) He was there, okay? The peacock was there the last time I saw my parents. He knows what happened, where I came from, who I am.*"
> ― Po breaking his silence and revealing why he let Lord Shen go by mistake.
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> "*(Rattlesnake Jake: You didn't do any of them things you SAID, did you? You didn't kill them Jenkins Brothers. You ain't even from the WEST, are you? Say it!) No. (Rattlesnake Jake: Oh, speak up. I didn't think your friends here heard you.) (Beans's eyes widen with surprise.) (firmly) No. (Rattlesnake Jake: All you've done is lie to these good people. You ain't nothing but a fake and a coward. Isn't that right?) Yes. (Rattlesnake Jake: LOUDER!) (sincerely) Yes.*"
> ― Rango breaking his silence as Rattlesnake Jake humiliates him, leading him to admit that he lied to the townspeople of Dirt about being a hero.
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> "*(Ariel: You went over the wall, didn't you?) Actually, I went UNDER it. I HATE that stupid wall.*"
> ― Melody breaking her silence as she argues with her mother.
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> "*(After scolding Koda for teasing Nita, Kenai walks over to his true love.) (Kenai: We were just kidding around about the fish.) No, it's not the fish. (sighs) It's the water. Ever since that day I fell through the ice when we were kids. That's why I didn't grab the bag in the river. It's not your fault. It's mine.*"
> ― Nita breaking her silence, revealing that she's been afraid of the water since she fell through the ice when she and Kenai were children, which is why she didn't grab her bag when it fell into the river.
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> "*Daddy, I LOVE him!*"
> ― Ariel accidentally blurting out that she loves Prince Eric during her confrontation with her father.
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> "*(A knight points Dracula to where Jonathan and Mavis are kissing. He rushes over to him, his rage knowing no bounds.) How could you? After I shared my PAIN with you?! (Jonathan: No, but - ) (Mavis: Dad, it was just a kiss.) No, you're not allowed to kiss. (Mavis: Dad, I'm allowed to do things. I'm not eighty-three anymore. I'm allowed to like people or go see the world again.) What? You saw it. You-you said you didn't like it! (Mavis: Maybe I wouldn't give the village another chance. I just need to learn, you know. Just roll with it, like Johnny does.) No, no, you CAN'T go back to the village again! (Mavis: Maybe you can make them see that we could be friends!) No, that isn't possible! (Mavis: You can't be sure. It's all about how you present yourself.) No, that won't make a difference! (Mavis: How do you know?) Because it just won't? (Mavis: Why?! Why won't it?!) BECAUSE THAT VILLAGE DOESN'T REALLY EXIST! (As soon as the guests hear this, the music stops. A string on Frank's guitar breaks.) (Mavis, stunned: What do you mean, "doesn't exist?") (Frank, furious: What did you do?) I...I did what I HAD to do. (Mavis: What was it? What exactly did you HAVE to do? TELL me!) (guiltily) I...I built the town. The staff put it all together. The...the zombies dressed up as the townspeople. (The staff's eyes widen with shock as they hear every word and they gurgle "nah-ah.") Please, I...i..if you really went out there and something happened to you, I...I...I just couldn't live with myself. (Mavis, now shocked: But you can live with THIS? Lying to me? Tricking me? Keeping me here forever when you knew my dream was to go.)*"
> ― Dracula breaking his silence, revealing that he built the human village and dressed the zombie staff up as villagers to scare Mavis into staying in the hotel for her own safety.
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> "*(Roger: What could have possibly happened to you to turn you into such a sourpuss?) You wanna know? I'll tell you. A toon killed my brother. (Roger, shocked: A toon? No.) That's right. A toon. (Eddie takes a deep breath.) We were investigating a robbery at the First National Bank of Toontown. Back in those days, me and Teddy like working at Toontown, thought it was a lot of laughs. Anyway, this guy...got away with a zillion simoleons. We trailed him to a little dive down on Yukster Street. We went in. Only he got the drop on us, literally. Dropped a piano on us from fifteen stories. Broke my arm. Teddy never made it. I never did find out who that guy was. All I remember was him standing over me laughing, with those burning red eyes...and that high, squeaky voice. He disappeared into Toontown after that.*"
> ― Eddie Valiant breaking his silence.
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> "*(Itchy Itchiford enters the ruins, limping in pain.) (Itchy Ichiford: Charlie! Charlie! Charlie, you here?) (Charlie B. Barkin: Hey! Be quiet! Squeaker's sick and needs her sleep.) (Itchy Itchiford, sarcastically: Oh, you're breaking my heart. Maybe you wanna upstairs and kiss her good night?) (Charlie B. Barkin: Itch? Itch, what happened to you?) (Itchy Itchiford: What happened to me? You wanna know what happened to me?) (Charlie B. Barkin: Yes.) (Itchy Itchiford: I'll tell you what happened to me. CARFACE happened to me, with about fifty of his thugs.) (Charlie B. Barkin: Oh, that dirty rat.) (Itchy groans in pain.) (Charlie B. Barkin: Oh, I'm sorry, Itch. I...I really am sorry.) (Itchy Itchiford: Well, look what else happened while you were sidetracked. See that? (Charlie & Itchy look out the window to see their casino engulfed in flames.) That's our place. You were going to fix Carface. Well, he fixed US! Ya see, boss? It's gone too far. You wanted revenge on Carface, and I said, "No. Please, let's get out of town." But I stayed because, because you're my friend. Then you wanted to kidnap the girl, and I said, "This is crazy!" But I helped ya. And..and then we got to dress the girl and read her stories. And she wants...we should feed the poor. And the whole while I'm thinkin', this is stupid! She's gonna get us killed! But I stayed because I'm your friend. But tonight...tonight, Charlie, he tried to kill me! He tried to kill me, Charlie, and you was out gallivanting with this..with this girl! I say we should lose the girl. Get out of town, Charlie, you and me. Then call it even. (Charlie B. Barkin: Oh, Itchy. Now the casino's gone. We got to start all over. We need the girl more than ever.) (Itchy Itchiford: No, boss! You're crazy. Oh, it's not business anymore, it's personal.) (Charlie B. Barkin: Ah, come on, Itchy. Sure, it's just business. I mean.) (Itchy Itchiford: You're in love with the girl. You've gone soft. You care about her.) (Charlie B. Barkin, sternly: Look, I don't care about the girl! I tell her things now and then. I pretend to be her best friend, but it's baloney!) (Itchy Itchiford: I thought I was your best friend.) (Charlie B. Barkin, still stern: You ARE my best friend! With her it's just business! It's always been business. I'm using the girl! And when we're done with her, we'll DUMP her in an orphanage! Is that OK with you?!) (Itchy Itchiford: Sure, boss. Anything you say.) (Anne Marie comes down the stairs; she has heard every word.) (Anne-Marie, beginning to cry: You're not my friend. You're a bad dog!) (With that, Anne-Marie runs off, sobbing.) (Charlie B. Barkin: Squeaker! Anne-Marie! Where are you going?)*"
> ― Itchy Ichiford and Charlie B. Barkin breaking their silence as they argue, with Charlie revealing that he was using Anne-Marie for profit.
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> "*(Beast: Well, if YOU hadn't run away, this wouldn't have happened.) If you hadn't FRIGHTENED me, I wouldn't have run away! (Beast: Well, YOU shouldn't have been in the West WING!) Well, YOU should learn to control your temper!*"
> ― Belle breaking her silence as she calls out the Beast for his attitude.
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> "*(Shifu: You cannot leave! A REAL warrior never quits.) Watch me. (Po tries to go around Shifu, who pushes him back.) Come on! How am I supposed to beat Tai Lung? I can't even beat you to the stairs. (Shifu: You will beat him because YOU are the Dragon Warrior!) (He pokes Po's abdomen with his staff.) Ow! You don't believe that! You NEVER believed that. From the first moment I got here, you've been trying to get rid of me. (Shifu, knocking Po to the ground: Yes, I was. But now I ask you to trust in your master as I have come to trust in mine.) You're not my master. And I'm not the Dragon Warrior. (Shifu: Then why didn't you quit?! You knew I was trying to get rid of you, yet you stayed.) Yeah, I stayed. (Po manages to get up.) I stayed because every time you threw a brick at my head or said I smelled, it hurt. But it could never hurt more than it did every day of my life just being me. I stayed because I thought if anyone could change me, could make me...NOT me, it was YOU. The greatest kung fu teacher in all of China! (Shifu: But I CAN change you! I CAN turn you into the Dragon Warrior! And I WILL!) Come on! Tai Lung's on his way here right now. And even if it takes him a hundred years to get here, how are YOU gonna change THIS...(indicates belly) into the Dragon Warrior?! Huh?! (Shifu's eyes grow wide with surprise.) How? How?! HOW?! (Shifu: I DON'T KNOW! (sighs) I don't know.) (Po sighs.) That's what I thought.*"
> ― Po breaking his silence as he argues with Shifu.
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> "*I...I know you don't want me to, but...I miss home. I miss Minnesota. You need me to be happy, but I want my old friends and my hockey team. I wanna go home. Please don't be mad. (Her parents Jill and Bill look sadly into their daughter's crying eyes.) (Jill: Oh, sweetie...) (Bill: We're not mad. I miss Minnesota too. I miss the woods where we took hikes.) (Jill: And the backyard where you used to play.) (Bill: Spring Lake, where you learned to skate. Come here.) (The Andersen Family embraces in a group hug comforting Riley.)*"
> ― Riley Andersen breaking her silence and admitting to her parents that she misses the home where she made her childhood memories, leading them to do the same thing.
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> "*(Paula: You gonna listen.) To WHO, Ma? Huh? To YOU?*"
> ― Chiron breaking his silence.
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> "*I spent my entire life hiding from people who would use me for my powers... (Mother Gothel: Rapunzel!) ...when I should have been hiding from YOU!*"
> ― Rapunzel breaking her silence as she finally realizes he's the lost princess and Mother Gothel's true evil intentions towards her.
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> "*This whole marriage is what YOU want. Do you ever bother to ask what I want? No! You walk around telling me what to do, what NOT to do, trying to make me be like YOU. Well, I'm not going to be like you!*"
> ― Merida breaking her silence during her argument with her mother.
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> "*(Sally: Everyone in this family is trying to be happy. And all you wanna do is make things harder!) You know, Mom, just because YOU'VE moved on and YOU'RE happy with your new life doesn't mean I have! You found a replacement for my dad, and I haven't, okay, and I never will! So I'm sorry if that makes things better! But in ten months from now, you'll...won't even have to deal with me!*"
> ― Charlie Watson breaking her silence as she argues with her mother about the loss of her father.
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> "*(The Applewood Derby carts are in an eight-cart pileup. Rarity and Applejack lament over their destroyed carts.) (Rarity: Oh! My beautiful swan cart is an ugly duckling!) (Applejack: And my old-time cart is a rootin' tootin' wreck!) (Rainbow Dash strains as she pushes her wrecked cart.) (Rainbow Dash: It still counts as a win if I* push *my cart across, right?) (A wheel bounces past the CMCs, who are angrily standing near the finish line. The three fillies look at each other, shaking with fury, before they all explode.) (Cutie Mark Crusaders:* THEY'RE NOT YOUR CAAAAARTS!!!*) (Several ponies stare at the CMCs in surprise upon hearing their outburst.) (Applejack, Rainbow Dash and Rarity: Huh?) (Apple Bloom:* We *were supposed to design them!) (Scootaloo: And* we *were supposed to drive them!) (Sweetie Belle: The Derby was supposed to be for us, not the three of you! Now you've ruined it for everypony!) (Rainbow, Applejack and Rarity look at the other racers, who are all in a pile of wrecked carts and glaring at them.) (Rarity: Mmmh...) (A wing snaps off of Rarity's cart with a crunch.) (Rarity: Yes, well, I suppose we might have gotten a teensy bit carried away...) (Applejack: But I thought you all wanted our help.) (Apple Bloom: We did! We wanted your help to build our carts. But we all ended up with carts that are what each of you wanted!) (Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle: Mm-hmm.) (Rainbow Dash: But why didn't you say anything?) (Scootaloo: You've all done the race before. I just figured you knew best!) (Sweetie Belle: Plus it's hard to speak up to older ponies.) (Rarity: Oh, I certainly understand that. But you mustn't think older ponies automatically know best.) (Rainbow Dash: And we probably could have done a better job of listening to you.) (Applejack: Oof. I guess we owe all three of you an apology.) (Apple Bloom: Maybe not just us.) (Rarity, Applejack and Rainbow look at the other racers again. Cheerliee approaches them with a look of annoyance on her face. Rainbow laughs nervously.) (Rainbow: Um, how do you feel about a do-over?) (Cheerilee: I think that's a wonderful idea! But maybe the older ponies should sit this one out.)*"
> ― The Cutie Mark Crusaders breaking their silence as they finally vent their frustrations to their older sisters, saying *they* were supposed to design and drive their own carts in the Derby and that the older ponies ruined things for everyone due to their selfishness.
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## Gallery

### Images

I had to save my Father, Shang!.pngMulan breaking her silence and admitting that she disguised herself as a man and joined the army in a desperate attempt to save her father's life.Chiron firm.pngChiron breaking his silence after all the pressure and abuse he's gone through before reconciling with his negligent mother.Belle putting her foot down.pngBelle breaking her silence as she calls out the Beast for his temper.Po breaking his silence.pngPo breaking his silence as he argues with Shifu.Merida breaking her silence.pngMerida breaking her silence as she argues with her mother over her future.Riley breaking her silence.pngRiley Andersen breaking her silence and finally admitting to her parents that she misses her old home in Minnesota.Charlie final straw.pngCharlie Watson breaking her silence as she argues with her mother over coping with the loss of her father.Ariel breaking her silence.pngAriel accidentally blurts out that she loves Eric.Dracula breaking his silence.pngDracula breaking his silence, revealing that he built the fake village to scare Mavis into staying in his hotel for her own safety.Nita breaking her silence.pngNita breaking her silence when she tells Kenai that she's afraid of the water since the day she fell through the ice when they were kids, which is why she didn't grab her bag when it fell into the river.Rango breaking his silence.pngRango breaking his silence as Rattlesnake Jake humiliates him, revealing that he was lying to the townsfolk of Dirt about being a hero.Melody breaking her silence.pngMelody breaking her silence about being confined from the ocean.Katherine breaking her silence.pngKatherine Johnson breaking her silence as she calls out her company for making her go for miles to use the segregated restroom.Twilight's breaking her own silence.pngTwilight Sparkle breaking her silence as she had enough of Temperance yelling at her to be silent and refuses to back down after one too many shouts.Ali breaking her silence.pngAli breaking her silence, revealing that because her herd was constantly on the move, she never got to know anyone but other longnecks, which was why she was initially shy around Littlefoot's friends.
### Videos

Inside Out - Sadness Helps RileyAfter returning home from running away, Riley Andersen finally breaks her silence, admitting that she misses her old home in San Francisco. To her surprise, her parents do the same thing, sharing their homesickness with her.Bumblebee – Charlie gets emotional (low quality)Charlie Watson breaking her silence as she argues with her mother over coping with the loss of her father.I'll Never Be Like YouMerida breaks her silence in front of her mother as she argues with her over her future and arranged marriage.Kung Fu Panda Po thinks hes not the Dragon WarriorPo breaking his silence as he argues with Shifu.CMC Confront Their Older Sisters - The Cart Before the PoniesThe Cutie Mark Crusaders break their silence as they finally vent their frustrations to their older sisters, saying they were supposed to design and drive their own carts in the Derby and that the older ponies ruined things for everyone due to their selfishness.11) Movie CLIP - You're Not My Friend (1989) HDCharlie B. Barkin and Itchy break their silence as they argue, leading Charlie to reveal that he was using Anne-Marie for his own gain, all the while bent on getting revenge on Carface for murdering him."Jeanie, who wants to see this dance?" scene from The Full Monty (1997) Dave revealing to his wife Jean that he was a stripper with GazHidden Figures Bathroom Speech Scene