In Russell Hoban's Riddley Walker, Hoban portrays a post-apocalyptic society devastated by nuclear war. While he masterfully crafts the story to warn readers about the dangers of technology, the real payoff is in the strange language, called Riddleyspeak, in which the book is written. As Ferdinand de Saussure states, language is the mechanism through which people derive ideas. from the nebulous cloud of thought. You can only know what you can express, so language not only influences how people think, but also serves as a structure on which to build a community. Russell Hoban uses Riddley's altered language in Riddley Walker as a mirror to the values ​​and psyche of the destroyed society. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an Original Essay On a superficial level, new language can change the nuances, connotations, and even meanings of words. For example, diplomacy becomes “plomercy,” indicating the shift of the very idea of ​​diplomacy to something much more sinister with the new word for the idea encapsulating “mercy.” In this sense, the new language is able to vividly capture the history and cultural change of this fictional society. Hoban manages to convey to the public the representation of this society and its values ​​not only through the plot but also through the actual visual vehicle of the representation. This technique has the effect of adding an extra level of immersion for the audience. Another point Hoban makes with his creation of Riddleyspeak is that society can only progress to the extent that language allows. As Goodparley notes, "Words! They'll move things, you know they'll do things. They'll fetch. You name something and you're beckoning" (122). It recognizes that words are the fundamental drivers and patterns that shape the ideas that people think about. An example is given by the fact that Goodparley himself cannot understand the "Legend of Saint Eustace" because it is written in modern English and, in fact, he interprets it completely incorrectly, transforming it into the only version that can be accepted within the edges of the world. Enigmatic language. Writing the story in Riddleyspeak influences how readers may perceive Hoban's messages, not in the context of how modern readers think according to the model of English, but according to the model of Riddleyspeak. To convey these ideas, which can only be expressed in the situation of a world plagued by post-nuclear war problems, Hoban needed a different structure, which he found in the language he created. Finding meaning in nothingness is a recurring theme in the novel, appearing in “The Lissener and the Other Voyce Owl of the Worl” tale of the owl “saying the sylents” (85) and the day emerging from the “form of night” in the “Why the dog doesn't show its eyes” (18). This idea of ​​finding value in nothing and actually using nothing to define everything else is also prominent in language itself. Riddleyspeak is full of missing parts compared to English: letters, apostrophes, contractions and words. Part of the reason why nothing is important is because it defines “something” by contrast. Without night, we could never understand what day is, and Riddley's society is defined by what it has lost, so we can understand how technology and advanced knowledge have the power to influence society. The missing parts in Riddleyspeak give definition and emphasize what is given and reflect this value of nothingness in society. Another idea echoed throughout society.