Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson, October 1999, Farrar Straus Giroux
Melinda Sordino, the narrator and protagonist of the novel Speak, attends Merryweather High School in Syracuse, New York. The novel starts off on the first day of high school for Melinda and she is outcast. Melinda had friends the year before but now she doesn’t because she called the cops at Kyle Rodgers’s party at the end of the summer. Melinda lost her best friend Rachel because of that and now Rachel hates her. As the outcast, Melinda gets things thrown at her and refuses to speak up about it. Melinda refers to a guy in her high school as “IT” and describes him as her nightmare. “IT” is why Melinda mouth is stitched up and can’t be able to talk to anyone without freezing up. On page 96, Melinda reveals “IT”, her nightmare as Andy Evans. Melinda keeps in a closet every day after school to hold thoughts of the beast (Andy) scraping away, inside her.
At the end of the book, Melinda finally describes what happened with Andy Evans before her first year of high school and why everybody hates her. Near the end-of-the summer of last year, Melinda was raped by Andy Evans and that is why she called 911. She doesn’t say anything though, just like when Andy was raping her. As the school year comes to an end, Melinda goes to her hiding place to pick up some things she left. Andy interrupts her, starts to complain about her stating she raped him. Andy accuses her of being jealous of Rachel. As he attempts to rape her again, she breaks her silence saying, "NNNOOO!!!" Melinda regains her friends back and even begins to SPEAK about the whole incident to Mr. Freeman.
Quotation:
“My closet is a good thing, a quiet place that helps me hold these thoughts inside my head where no one can hear them” (Anderson 51).
Quotation Context:
The quotation above symbolizes the closet to her mind. Melinda refurbished the closet by hanging a poster over an unwanted mirror; sweeping and mopping the floor; and scrubbing down the shelves. Melinda refurbished her mind the same way by blocking things out and making sure nothing comes out. It’s like she trying to refurnish her mind to something that will hold the thoughts of her guilt and anger. The closest substitutes her place of comfort where she can read and talk alone. The closest allows her to keep to herself and is the only place where she is herself.
