Simon the Fiddler

Content warning: This section of the guide discusses war, violence, and sexual assault.

Simon, alongside the other musicians, is not a particularly effective communicator, yet he makes his way successfully by using music as a language. Like actual language, the text suggests that music can have both positive and negative consequences, meaning that Simon must choose his “words” carefully to send the right message about himself. His carefully practiced and expansive repertoire of songs for his fiddle allows him to communicate with people from every social stratum; playing music, therefore, not only meets his practical needs but his social needs as well.

The novel names specific songs through which Simon communicates with others both positively and negatively. On two instances, song requests depict Simon’s stance on the complex social dynamics of the time. A man demands the song a Confederate anthem; Simon’s refusal to play it is both a sign of his vague allegiances and his intelligence, as the man is later charged for seditious conduct. Later, Pruitt demands a dirty song, which Simon also refuses to play, signifying his maturity and interest in his social presentation. In both instances, Simon’s refusal to cooperate leads to violence; denying the men their songs causes them to react furiously. Simon’s refusal demonstrates the power music has to communicate ideas; by refusing to capitulate despite potential danger, Simon establishes himself as an independent entity with agency.

Music is also the way in which Simon and Doris communicate most effectively. From the very beginning, Simon uses music to learn about Doris, such as when he learns that she is Irish after she requests an Irish song from him. He later plays it for her on the side of the road as a sign of interest and affection: “[H]e sent it out to Doris Dillon note after note, phrase after phrase, out over the river and the deafening silence of a new-made peace” (44). The word “phrase” reinforces the novel’s relation between music and language. Since Simon and Doris must keep so much of their relationship a secret, they use music to buy time to talk and be in each other’s presence, namely by piano playing and teaching and fiddle playing. Simon’s fiddle, even destroyed, becomes a weapon for him to stay with Doris, as it inspires the judge’s sympathy and earns him his freedom. In many ways, their music is what makes them valuable to others, and they weaponize this to distract onlookers from their intimate connection to one another. Jiles suggests that music is not something that exists in a vacuum, and Simon acknowledges its power to craft narratives and influence others and responds accordingly.