Halse Anderson Archetypes

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Friendship is like a rollercoaster. There are ups and downs, but in the end you will always have fun. In the book Speak, The main character is shown as an outcast archetype. In most novels with the Hero’s Journey the main character is portrayed as a hero, making this book unique and unlike others. An outcast is a person who has been rejected by society or a social group. The main character was an outcast for the majority of the novel, but after her friends discovered the truth behind her past they accept her. Laurie Halse Anderson illustrates her presentation of friendship by using imagery and characterization to show that friends go through alot but always end up together. The author conveys the idea of friendship, by showing that friends …show more content…

Melinda, the main character, was judged and made fun of because she was too afraid to tell people the truth about what happened at a party over the summer. In order to prove her claim Laurie Halse Anderson includes a scene in which art is after the lunch period. Melinda was walking at lunch, and someone ran into her with mashed potatoes and she became embarrased. “Art follows lunch, like dream follows nightmare” (Anderson, pg 9). This quote illustrates the main characters emotions and feelings about the people around her. The importance of this piece of evidence is to help the reader connect the the character and develope a tone or mood. It connects to the thesis by presenting the idea of loneliness. Laurie Halse Handerson additionally supports her point by including a scene in which Melinda explains that she doesn’t have any friends and doesn’t want to make any. “I have no one to sit with. I am Outcast” (Anderson, pg 4). The source is saying that Melinda knows that she can’t sit with anyone, and she isn’t interested in finding any friends. It is important because it shows that the character is aware that she is lonely and an outcast. How is this piece of evidence creates a connection to the thesis by illustrating the oucast archetype and the idea of loneliness. The main character contributed to the outcast archetype, she became depressed and was unwilling to try to make