"The dead might as well try to speak to the living as the old to the young"

This quote by Willa Cather talks to the trouble of bridging the gap between generations. It suggests that the divide between the old and the young is so terrific that it is practically as if the dead are attempting to interact with the living. Cather is emphasizing the difficulty of understanding between generations, and how the experiences of the old are often not understood by the young. This quote speaks with the value of respecting the knowledge of the senior, and of taking the time to listen and learn from them. It likewise speaks with the importance of passing down understanding and traditions from one generation to the next, so that the wisdom of the old is not lost. Cather's quote is a reminder that the old and the young must interact to bridge the space between them, and that it is just through understanding and interaction that this can be accomplished.