Brief Summary Of Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson

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In the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda, an incoming freshman at Merryweather High School in Syracuse, New York, went to an upperclassman party during the summer and tragically was raped by Andy Evans, a senior jock. Melinda immediately called the cops after the assault, and all the people at the party since then on, have hated her for ruining the party, but they do not know why Melinda had really called the cops. Since this incident, Melinda has had difficulty expressing herself and talking about her ordeal. The story consists of the continuous motif of speaking/not speaking, to illustrate how in order for rape victims to get help they have to reach out and speak to someone.
At the beginning of the year, Melinda continuously

She begins to open herself up a little more, talking to more people, but not yet revealing her secret. When Melinda is at the mall people watching, she thinks to herself, “I should probably tell someone, just tell someone. Get it over with. Let it out, blurt it out,” (99). Melinda has approached the stage, in her PTSD recovery, where she has thoughts about confessing the truth. This thought shows Melinda’s growth from the start of the year, where she was completely bottled up and refusing to speak, to now. At the time where Melinda is in the car with her art teacher, Mr. Freeman, he says to her, “If you ever need to talk, you know where to find me. You’re a good kid. I think you have a lot to say. I’d like to hear it,” (123). By Mr. Freeman saying this, it opens a whole door of opportunity for Melinda to tell him. Melinda will now have what he said hanging over her head, which can make her feel more comfortable when spilling her secret. When Melinda has a flashback of what happened during the party she narrates that Andy Evans asks her, “Do you want to?,” and she doesn’t respond out loud, but thinks, “What did he say? I didn’t answer. I didn’t know. I didn’t speak,” (135). Melinda here is recalling, what had happened to her and the severity of it. By her having this flashback, it shows that her situation isn’t easy to just talk about, it will take some courage to reach out. When Melinda

At one instance during art class, Melinda and her peer, Ivy are in the bathroom together and Melinda sees writing on the stalls, and decides to join in, “I hold the cap in my teeth. I start another subject thread on the wall: Guys to Stay Away From. The first entry is the beast himself: Andy Evans. “Ta-da!” I point to my handiwork. Ivy grins,” (175-176). Melinda has now confided in Ivy by showing her her dislike for Andy, by her writing on the wall. It is a step toward communication for Melinda, not yet fully opening up to Ivy, but still letting her in somewhat. At the final chapter of the book, Melinda finally speaks. When she is trapped with Andy Evans in the closet, and he starts kissing and getting touchy with her, her response is, “No. A sound explodes from me. “NNOOO!!!” (194). Melinda has now spoken out toward Andy, a and he loses his balance a bit. The lacrosse then comes in the door and sees what really happened. The girls that discover her are accepting, and understanding of what Melinda’s gone through, and now know the truth. To tie up Melinda’s secret coming out, there is a final scene where Mr. Freeman questions her and sees her crying, “No crying in my studio. It ruins the supplies. You’ve been through a lot haven’t you?” “Let me tell you about it,” (198). Melinda has come to terms with what has happened to her, and is ready to get the help she