“The bruises are vivid, but they will fade”(198). In the story Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, the main character Melinda has many bruises all over that were caused by many different turning points in her life. It takes her a long time to figure out that these bruises that she has will fade with time and do not have to stay there forever. Melinda really doesn’t know how to deal with these turning points which causes her first year of high school to really stink and be an awful experience. Melinda’s identity in the book is majorly affected by these many different turning points, some being art class, being raped, and her mom getting a new job as a manager.
One major turning point in Melinda’s life is when her mom got a new job as a manager and started to spend more time worrying about the store than she did on her family, losing the importance of that family bond. Before she became a manager, their family was actually a family; everyone would talk and bond and actually enjoy each other’s presence. While dissecting an apple for science class, Melinda has a flashback “My parents took me to an orchard [when I was little], Daddy set me high in an apple tree. It was like falling up into a story book, yummy and red and leaf and the branch not shaking a bit” (66). From this memory, the Sordino family seems to be a ‘typical family’ who is put together and does not have any issues, which the readers quickly find out is not the case. We find out that the Sordino’s aren’t that ‘perfect family’ …show more content…
Many times the turning points in life can be the scariest things to face when they are still raw but Melinda shows us that no matter how hard it is, sometimes its the best thing for both you and everyone around you to come to terms with what happened and just talk to someone about it. Although the repercussions are there, they will eventually fade
One major turning point in Melinda’s life is when her mom got a new job as a manager and started to spend more time worrying about the store than she did on her family, losing the importance of that family bond. Before she became a manager, their family was actually a family; everyone would talk and bond and actually enjoy each other’s presence. While dissecting an apple for science class, Melinda has a flashback “My parents took me to an orchard [when I was little], Daddy set me high in an apple tree. It was like falling up into a story book, yummy and red and leaf and the branch not shaking a bit” (66). From this memory, the Sordino family seems to be a ‘typical family’ who is put together and does not have any issues, which the readers quickly find out is not the case. We find out that the Sordino’s aren’t that ‘perfect family’ …show more content…
Many times the turning points in life can be the scariest things to face when they are still raw but Melinda shows us that no matter how hard it is, sometimes its the best thing for both you and everyone around you to come to terms with what happened and just talk to someone about it. Although the repercussions are there, they will eventually fade