One possibility I was mulling over for this one is a description of dictatorship. For example, Hitler (who most people consider the quintessential example of a dictator) used hatred for Jews to unite Germans. The "sounds of silence" may describe civilians who questioned Hitler in their minds but were too afraid to speak out. Or it could mean an unwillingness to think for themselves. The pull of Hitler (or any other dictator using these same tactics) is "too strong" for the civilian. I think a dictatorship theme is a strong possibility with regards to this song. However, I think an even more likely possibility is that it is an indictment of religion. When taken the wrong way, religion can instill a feeling of superiority amongst the followers in that they feel they have the "right" God and everyone else is going to hell. This would describe the "divisions of hate," etc. This would also help describe the "sounds of silence"-people not questioning faith that is instilled in them at an early age. And it is within the religious context that the "weight of existence" line makes far more sense than it would with a dictatorship theme. People are prone to following religion blindly because of the "opiate of the masses" phenomenon-the "weight of existence" in THIS life is "too strong" for them and so they latch onto a belief in something more. So these are the two possibilities I was considering, but I think that the religious theme is the more likely of the two.
One possibility I was mulling over for this one is a description of dictatorship. For example, Hitler (who most people consider the quintessential example of a dictator) used hatred for Jews to unite Germans. The "sounds of silence" may describe civilians who questioned Hitler in their minds but were too afraid to speak out. Or it could mean an unwillingness to think for themselves. The pull of Hitler (or any other dictator using these same tactics) is "too strong" for the civilian. I think a dictatorship theme is a strong possibility with regards to this song. However, I think an even more likely possibility is that it is an indictment of religion. When taken the wrong way, religion can instill a feeling of superiority amongst the followers in that they feel they have the "right" God and everyone else is going to hell. This would describe the "divisions of hate," etc. This would also help describe the "sounds of silence"-people not questioning faith that is instilled in them at an early age. And it is within the religious context that the "weight of existence" line makes far more sense than it would with a dictatorship theme. People are prone to following religion blindly because of the "opiate of the masses" phenomenon-the "weight of existence" in THIS life is "too strong" for them and so they latch onto a belief in something more. So these are the two possibilities I was considering, but I think that the religious theme is the more likely of the two.