Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson: Fighting Her Way To The Top

Speak is an ironic title for a story where the main character, Melinda, chooses not to speak. In the captivating novel, Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda Sordino enters her first year of high school. Prior to the start of freshman year at Merryweather High School, Melinda goes to a party with three other friends, and is raped by a senior named Andy Evans. That night leaves Melinda with a huge secret, causing her personality to change extremely. After her traumatic experience, the tree symbolizes Melinda’s recovery and healing process, representing her identity that motivates her love for art.

In the novel, the first way the tree represents Melinda’s recovery and healing processes is how the tree symbolizes her identity. For example, Melinda’s art class guides her to finding her existence: “‘this is where you can find your soul, if you dare. Where you can touch that part of you you’ve never dared look at before’” (Anderson 10). Making a tree as Melinda’s art project shows a transformation in her individuality. The tree also represents her constant growth and emotional well-being. In addition, when Mr. Freeman approaches Melinda, we see tears as part of her process of transformation: “the tears dissolve the last block of ice in my throat.

I feel the frozen stillness melt down through the inside of me, dripping shards of ice that vanish in a puddle of sunlight on the stained floor. Words float up” (198). Melinda’s tears help with her healing and create a space for Melinda to tell Mr. Freeman her story. She finally is able to open up and speak her truth about what happened to her. Also, through this project, Melinda learns that: “art is about making mistakes and learning from them” (122). Melinda realizes that making mistakes in her art is part of a process of change and growth. Melinda also learns to stand up for herself and find her own voice while creating her own identity. She ultimately learns to overcome her own issues.

Furthermore, it is revealed that the tree also represents Melinda’s recovery and healing process, in which the tree drives her love for art. For instance, Melinda knows that she can share her emotions through art and thinks to herself, “maybe I’ll be an artist when I grow up” (78). For Melinda, art is a place where she can share her emotions and experiences. Art also allows Melinda to share her thoughts and feelings through conversation; art is basically the only subject that Melinda likes. Another example occurs when Mr. Freeman tries to motivate Melinda: ‘Your imagination is paralyzed, you need to take a trip… you need to visit the mind of the great one’ (118). Mr. Freeman lectures about a Spanish artist, Pablo Picasso, whose art really inspires and motivates Melinda.

Melinda is genuinely inspired by Pablo Picasso’s artwork because she sees all the different shapes and designs in his art. This for Melinda created a positive image in her head about her artwork and how she was struggling to express her feelings through it. Melinda’s connection to his work shows that she wanted to paint like he did with all the different shapes and designs so she decided to do that with her tree. When Melinda draws a tree using principles of cubism, Mr. Freeman feels she is finally moving in the right direction. In addition, we see Melinda with her final tree: “I look at my homely sketch. It doesn’t need anything. Even through the river in my eyes I can see that. It isn’t perfect and that makes it just right” (198). Melinda feels her art is ‘homely” which means she feels it is ordinary. She finally understands that art is not always about beauty or perfection, it is about what it means to you. During her first year of high school, her art class allowed her to be more motivated in school through this project.

Melinda’s art project of creating a tree shows her self-discovery and passion for art during a very painful time when she was healing from a traumatic experience. In her art class, Melinda was able to speak her most honest truth and come to terms with her issues. Her art teacher, Mr. Freeman, was the person who motivated her the most and allowed her the opportunity to express herself emotionally through her art. When Melinda finally speaks her truth, she realizes that she should have done it sooner because it set her free and she was able to find her identity. In today’s world, women and men should feel comfortable telling someone about their experiences. This issue is important because there are so many people who live in fear because they have not told their truth to anyone; they should conform to the idea of opening up without the fear of judgement. Especially toward young teenagers, Melinda’s story has the power to inspire many people to speak up and express how they feel with or without words.