The Importance Of A Tree In Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak

Trees are full of life. In the book Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda feels like her life is inconsequential. Melinda is a 14-year-old girl who is about to leap into high school. Right before school started, he went to a party with her friends. She got overwhelmed, so she walked into the woods to take a breather. She sat under a tree and saw a dark figure approach her. He was mysterious. They started talking, then kissing, and before she knew what was happening, she was on the ground. He had raped her. Because of this, she called the cops on the party. When she arrives back at school in autumn everyone despises her because she called the police. Even her friends have abandoned her. She doesn't tell anyone that she was raped. She keeps it hidden along with her voice. When Melinda has to study a tree in art class she realizes that life is worth more and is more complicated than it seems. …show more content…
I plunge my hand into the bottom of the globe and fish out my paper. “Tree” Tree? That’s too easy. I learned how to draw a tree in second grade! I reach in for another piece of paper. Mr. Freeman shakes his head. “Ah-ah-ah,” he says. “You just chose your destiny, you can’t change that.”” (12) When Mr. Freeman assigns this project to Melinda, she doesn't understand the importance of trees or what they stand for. Trees are unusual objects. They change from season to season, they lose parts of themselves and grow new parts, but to the outside world, they stay the same. Melinda can relate to trees because of that. Everyone thinks that she is a no-one and is not interesting, but inside her head is racing with ideas and thoughts. By this point in the book, Melinda doesn't even care about life anymore. She thinks that if you don't like something you can just reach into the globe again and come up with a new life. You are given your life and you have to work with what you