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Depression In Speak By Lourie Halse Anderson

483 Words2 Pages

Speak Essay Depression can drown somebody, not allowing them a way to escape. It can be blinding, not allowing you to find a way out. In the book Speak, by Lourie Halse Anderson, Melinda shows many signs of depression after undergoing trauma and does not realize it until she is in too deep. I believe Melinda is depressed due to her loss of interest in activities, feeling as if her life doesn’t matter, and isolating herself from other people. I believe Melinda is depressed because she no longer wants to participate in activities or events that she would have earlier in her life. A quote from the book showing this states, “I used to be like Heather…She is happy, driven, aerobically fit”(Aderson 24). This shows that Melinda used to be mentally and physically healthy, in addition to desiring to partake in activities to better herself. Later in the book, Melinda says, “she couldn’t pay me enough to play on her basketball team.”(Aderson 75). This shows a change in her previous self because before she experienced the traumatic event, she most likely would have joined the basketball team. Now, she doesn’t want to, and even if she did her grades are so low that they would not allow her. …show more content…

Throughout the book, Melinda has many self-deprecating thoughts that have led to her deteriorating mental health. A specific quote displayed by the book says, “I’m sure I was a huge disappointment. I’m not pretty or smart or athletic”(Anderson 70). This excerpt from the book claims that Melinda has zero positive qualities and is overall not a good person. She assumes that everybody in the world thinks she is some huge disappointment that is undeserving of anything. This is a sign of depression because Melinda feels as though there is no hope in the world left for

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There are specific people who helped her mature in a certain way. She slowly opens up over the course of the year with support from different people. There are several people in this novel who help Melinda find her “voice”. Mr. Freeman, for example, was an important part of Melinda’s growth. He is Melinda’s art teacher who came off as weird at first

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Melinda`s behavior reflcets the theme because she has come to the realization that keeping her feelings bottled up will not

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Furthermore, she also has problems with her friends .A problem with Melinda 's friends is that she gets annoyed with Heather because she talks way too much. Also, most of her old friends don 't talk

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Melinda goes into a downward spiral; with her forms of expressing and coping with depression becoming progressively

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Mrs. Sordino’s inability to show compassion towards Melinda and how she may be feeling greatly diminishes their relationship. These interactions cause a chain reaction of broken relationships throughout the book. For Melinda, this causes distrust and unwillingness to open up. After this, every time Mrs. Sordino attempts to ask Melinda about her life, Melinda does not respond. This is most likely caused by these types of interactions throughout the book.

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She also told Heather “… That’s not what I mean, I mean no, won’t help you. ”(Anderson 179). This was one of the first times that she stood up for what she wanted. After her fight with Heather, Melinda had a confidence boost and felt strong and powerful. Towards the middle of the novel she was getting more positive feedback from her friend Ivy.

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At the end of the story she finally found her voice and was able to stand up for herself. In the beginning, Melinda didn't talk to anyone, barely even to her parents. She says, “I have tried so hard to forget every second of that stupid party and here I am in the middle of a hostile crowd that hates me for what I had to do. I can't tell them what really happened” (Anderson, 28).

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The most compelling evidence is on page 45 where it says, “I hide in the bathroom until I know Heather’s bus has left. The salt in my tears feels good when it stings my lips. I wash my face in the sink until there is nothing left of it, no eyes, no nose, no mouth. A slick Nothing.” This evidence shows how Melinda is feeling.

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Because Melinda and her family mainly talk like that there is little to no family bonding and Melinda is not getting the love and attention she needs in this rough time in her life. It is not just her parents she is feeling the neglect from. She also wrote to her friends through notes. Melinda has no friends this school year because of what happened over the summer at a party when she called the cops because a senior in high school, Andy Evans, brutally raped her, but everyone in school does not know that. When she finds out that her old friend, Rachel, starts to date Andy, she wants to help her.

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Melinda also stops talking entirely when she’s at the lowest point in her recovery. This is a recognized syndrome, known as selective mutism. To her, the amount of effort required to string her thoughts into coherent words for somebody else to hear outweighs the value

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Hurting herself, like her nail and lip biting, is another way for her to express physically what she is emotionally experiencing. People around Melinda ignore her physical and emotional signs of despair. Instead of viewing Melinda’s scratches as a cry or help, Melinda’s mother tells her to stop because she does not have the time for such conduct. In addition to Melinda’s attempts at self-harm, Melinda experiences difficulty sleeping. For example, she expresses her inability to sleep when she says, “I just want to sleep.

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The cause of Melinda’s dreary mood obviously comes from IT’s abuse. Andy Evans constantly harassing Melinda in the hallways reminds her of the horrid rape and keeps the image in her mind. This is why Melinda cannot wake up from her nightmare and is emotionally unstable. To sum up, Melinda’s dismal mood is greatly portrayed through the metaphors of

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Melinda, in a lot of ways, starts out like that it the book. She becomes a shell of herself from before the party happened and because no one else was there, she is lonely and doesn't have anybody to go to and to make matters even worse, she’s covered by the reputation that she has formed. In the book, Laurie Halse Anderson uses symbolism to convey exactly what Melinda can't say. In the beginning of the book, Melinda starts high school carrying her emotional wounds with her after something happens mysterious to her at a party during the summer.

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