The book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson is about a teenage girl who stops talking after she gets raped. Melinda, the protagonist has changed and is no longer a happy girl. She is now a quiet and lonely girl hated by society because she called the cops on her friends during the summer party. Nobody asked her why she did what she did, but the reason was that she was getting raped. This incident changed her life completely. The main character Melinda starts to show signs of recovery through her art class. Laurie Halse Anderson shows how recovery is different for every person and how each person achieves it in their way.
The summer party was the reason why Melinda’s life changed drastically. Before the party, Melinda was filled with friends and was always happy. Now, Melinda is reserved and rarely talks to anyone. Melinda states, “I see a few friends- people I used to think were my friends-but they look away.” (Anderson 8) The people who she thought were her friends, no longer talk to her, nobody likes her. Now, Melinda is isolated from society, she no longer talks to anyone or has any friends. “I close my eyes. This is what I’ve been dreading. As we leave the last stop, I and the only person sitting alone. (Anderson 3) Melinda experiences a long and hard recovery, which takes time for her to be who she once was but with the help of …show more content…
Melinda went through a traumatizing experience, and everyone and everything around her contributes to the uncontrollable pain she is feeling. In fact, she was always silent and did not speak to anyone until, Mr. Freedman, Melinda’s art teacher, helped her speak again. Rape is a traumatizing and serious event, and the people who get raped recover differently. The book is an inspiration to people who have suffered from this trauma and helps them to speak
The summer party was the reason why Melinda’s life changed drastically. Before the party, Melinda was filled with friends and was always happy. Now, Melinda is reserved and rarely talks to anyone. Melinda states, “I see a few friends- people I used to think were my friends-but they look away.” (Anderson 8) The people who she thought were her friends, no longer talk to her, nobody likes her. Now, Melinda is isolated from society, she no longer talks to anyone or has any friends. “I close my eyes. This is what I’ve been dreading. As we leave the last stop, I and the only person sitting alone. (Anderson 3) Melinda experiences a long and hard recovery, which takes time for her to be who she once was but with the help of …show more content…
Melinda went through a traumatizing experience, and everyone and everything around her contributes to the uncontrollable pain she is feeling. In fact, she was always silent and did not speak to anyone until, Mr. Freedman, Melinda’s art teacher, helped her speak again. Rape is a traumatizing and serious event, and the people who get raped recover differently. The book is an inspiration to people who have suffered from this trauma and helps them to speak