An opera could barely be heard in the background.

[kjc0123]

What is the meaning of "An opera could barely be heard in the background." in the following sentences? 

"Thank you," he said stiffly. No calls, no cards, no letters, no flowers, not one word of sympathy uttered until now, in this happenstance meeting. An opera could barely be heard in the background.

[graemer]

kjc it means the volume level on the radio or cd player which would have been playing the opera was very low and could only just be heard in the backgroud.

[jno]

it's hard to be sure - it might mean 'The silence was deafening' - an ironic way of saying that it was very silent indeed (because he's heard no words, got no letters etc), so 'silent' that the 'sound of silence' would have drowned out an orchestra.

[elgroucho]

I agree with jno's answer.

[graemer]

could you give the next line or two please kjc, to enable us to clarify?

[graemer]

Just thinking a bit more on this jno. I don't think it would be a detached sentence if it was to mean "The silence was deafening". It seems to me to be fact.

[graemer]

Sorry kjc, also the fact that the silence is now broken I think the wording about the opera would have been in past tense if meaning the silence had been deafening.

[jno]

kjc, as you will see from these answers, the meaning of this phrase seems unclear. Writers do not always make their meanings as clear as they intend to - I suppose the same is true in Korean literature.