Private Lives

At the end of the act, Amanda and Elyot are not speaking, though they manage to make up silently. What are some of the actions they do in their reconciliation and why does it work?

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The four main characters are sitting down for a brief breakfast. Their small talk is inconsequential and Elyot's sarcastic remarks bite right through the pretense of civility. However, Amanda, knowing Elyot as well as she does, senses what he is doing. Elyot, for his part, winks frequently at Amanda, as if they can communicate silently in a way that no one else will notice. More than anything, though, when Victor and Sibyl start fighting, the spectacle is so absurd that Amanda and Elyot can only watch it together. Amanda even makes a motion to step in and keep their spouses from fighting, but Elyot merely takes her hand and she stays still. Their silence, where nothing hurtful can be said, unites them and they fall in love all over again.