Why does Éowyn shieldmaiden of Rohan "not desire the speech of living men"?

Question

Faramir smiled, though his heart was filled with pity. ‘Your window does not look eastward?’ he said. ‘That can be amended. In this I will command the Warden. If you will stay in this house in our care, lady, and take your rest, then you shall walk in this garden in the sun, as you will; and you shall look east, whither all our hopes have gone. And here you will find me, walking and waiting, and also looking east. It would ease my care, if you would speak to me, or walk at whiles with me.’

Then she raised her head and looked him in the eyes again; and a colour came in her pale face. ‘How should I ease your care, my lord?’ she said. ‘And I do not desire the speech of living men.’

When I read this, my first thought had something to do with Gondor/Minas Tirith and how they cared more about dead men than the living, etc., but then I quickly remembered that Rohan is quite a different place and it has nothing to do with that.

So what does she mean by not "desiring the speech" of living men? She does not like to talk with alive people? She doesn't come off as very spiritual (until her total change, later) to me...

Answer 1

She is severely depressed following the death of King Théoden, her severe injuries in battle with the Witch-King (and the Witch-King's despair-inducing Black Breath), and the fact that she has been left behind when the Army of the West makes its last desperate attack on Mordor, which she expects to fail, leading to the immediate death of her brother and Aragorn, and the destruction of the rest of her world in short order. This last is most important - as shield-maiden, she feels that her responsibility is to be in battle, to (almost certainly) die, but with honor.

As @WolfieSmith noted in the comments, she says:

...I looked for death in battle. But I have not died, and battle still goes on..." .. "...I wish to ride to war like my brother Éomer, or better like Théoden the king, for he died and has both honour and peace.

So when Éowyn says that she wishes to speak to no one alive, it's because she wishes to speak to no one at all. She wants to be left alone, in her despair and loneliness, not to have a conversation with anyone at all (and certainly not to "ease the mind" of someone else).

Answer 2

She is just saying she doesn’t want to talk to him. She’s upset and grieving. It’s a direct response to your quote.

It would ease my care, if you would speak to me,

Answer 3

Oddly for Tolkien, it means exactly what it says. She wishes to speak to people who are dead (or who will soon die, or die before she sees them again) - the people who have left to invade Mordor, or already died in Isengard's intrigues or the Battle of the Pelennor Fields.

Basically, Faramir is being courteous to a guest (or making a pass) but in an insensitive way ('let's talk and take a turn around the garden' during wartime) and Éowyn is being... less than courteous in return, albeit in a way she can't be called out for, which is classic Éowyn.

It's the effect of saying 'my aunt died yesterday' when someone starts talking about how cool their new car is. Total conversation sinker, and, they feel bad, but also sorta blame you for them now feeling bad. However, in this case Faramir probably deserved it for being tone-deaf, which is a trait that he shares with Boromir and his dad (although not as badly).