Speak Draft

The novel “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson is about a teenager named Melinda Sordino who loses the ability to communicate after she is raped at an end of year school party. Instead of speaking out about what happened to her, she bottles up her pain and sadness, hoping that if she doesn't speak about the rape and if enough time passes, the memory, pain, and sadness will soon be gone. At the party, immediately after Andy Evan rapes her, Melinda calls the police and they crash the party. Everybody is angry with Melinda and this anger carries into her new high school year. Her peers don’t know that she was calling the police for help. Anderson uses symbolism throughout the book to help portray Melinda’s inner life and her situation. One symbol is Melinda’s on going art project, which has to do with creating a series of trees. Another symbol is a stall in the girls’ bathroom. Throughout the book, Melinda transforms from a wounded person to one who feels more empowered and leads her to stand up to her abuser.

Symbolism is used throughout “Speak”. The art project that Melinda is assigned to over the course of the year becomes a symbol of her gradual healing. Art class becomes the only safe haven in school and is the one place that keeps her moving through a rough time. By giving her this assignment her art teacher gives her an opportunity to open up and express herself. In the following quote, Melinda is describing the tree she has created in the last marking period. “One of the lower branches is sick. If this tree really lives some place, that branch better drop soon, so it doesn’t kill the whole thing. Roots knob out of the ground and the crown reaches for the sun, tall and healthy. The new growth is the best part.” The lower branch that is sick that is about to fall off is the memory of the rape. Another symbol is the stall in the girls’ bathroom. It represents community and solidarity. Melinda writes on the stall that Andy is a bad person. She warns other girls about him. The stall is a place where Melinda and other girls can go to express their feelings about Andy without boys influencing them. This is also another way for Melinda to “speak up” with out actually talking. “’Andy Evans. He’s a creep. He’s a bastard. Stay away!!!!!!!!!!!! He should be locked up.’ There’s more. Different pens, different handwriting, conversations between writers… It’s better than taking out a billboard. I feel like I can fly.” When she sees the other girls’ writing, Melinda is over joyed. These girls are talking about Andy Evans. Melinda realizes that a lot of girls have been in her situation. This gives Melinda power and strength, to know that she isn’t alone.  This bathroom symbolizes a private place for girls to come forward and share secrets.

Melinda goes through many transformations in the book. In the beginning, Melinda can’t speak up for herself and doesn’t want to either because she feels ashamed of what happened. She blames herself and she knows people still blame her for calling the police but she can’t tell people about Andy Evans. “I stand in the center isle of the auditorium, a wounded zebra in a National Geographic special, looking for someone, anyone, to sit next to.” From this quote, it shows that Melinda is completely socially isolated. In the middle of the book Melinda realizes that in her art class, she has found a place that feels safe and where she can start to express herself. Mr. Freeman, the art teacher gives her an assignment where you have to create different types of trees using different materials. Sometimes doing the art project is difficult but she learns how to express herself through art. She realizes that creating art gives her joy. At the end of the book, she realizes that other girls have been abused or harassed by Andy Evans as well. This makes her feel less alone and more powerful. This knowledge helps Melinda heal. In this scene, Melinda is spending time with her family. She asks her dad to buy her seeds to grow in the garden. “Me: ‘Can you buy me some seeds? Flowers seeds?’” This request for seeds ties into the symbol of trees and growth that makes readers think that Melinda is starting to heal.

In conclusion, Melinda transforms from a silent victim into a girl who feels like she has power. There are many symbols that convey Melinda’s transformation. The art project symbolizes growth and healing and the bathroom stall symbolizes female power and community. A lot of girls in the world are harassed, abused, and sometimes raped. Speak shows us that it is hard to speak up about rape. Some men or boys intimidate girls/women or threaten them not speak or sometimes girls simply blame themselves out of shame. The take away from the book for me, was that girls need to have something that they can go to, which is art for Melinda, to heal. You also need a sense of community. You need to know that there is someone out there that can believe the truth.