Laurie Halse Anderson's Speak Essay

Do you know what it is like to be disliked by almost everyone in your school? The main character of this book. It follows a freshman in high school, Melinda Sordino, who busted an end-of-summer party and is now hated by many students. She had a reason to call the cops, but no one knows because she hasn’t spoken up yet. The outsider in “Speak” by Laurie Halse Anderson is Melinda because she isolates herself, people avoid her, and she barely speaks. One reason Melinda could be considered an outcast is because she likes to be alone. When she was running from the hall monitor, she found an empty closet that she made into her personal hangout spot. She said, “This closet is abandoned–it has no purpose, no name. It is the perfect place for me” (Anderson,

This made her an outsider because she didn’t make an effort to form connections with her peers. The next reason she could be considered an outcast is because of the way people avoid her. When she was on the bus to school, she said, “As they walk down the aisle, people who were my middle school lab partners or gym buddies glare at me.As we leave the last stop, I am the only person sitting alone” (Anderson, 3). This reveals how most people around her felt about her. They were still clearly upset about how she busted the party, so they ignored her. It’s hard to be friends with people that dislike you. The final reason I think Melinda is an outcast is because she barely spoke during her freshman year, both at home and at school. She was struggling in school, so she and her parents ended up in the principal’s office. The principal was talking about how her grades went down and that they should talk to her about it. Her mom said, “That’s the point, she won’t say anything! I can’t get a word out of her. She’s mute.” Her mom’s frustration shows how difficult it is for people to communicate with