Resilience In Out Of My Mind By Sharon Draper

The theme of resilience is seen throughout the novel, “Out of My Mind” written by Sharon Draper. Through the eyes of Melody Brooks, who has cerebral palsy, the novel shows the challenges of living with a disability in a world that underestimates individuals like her. However, despite all the obstacles and prejudices she encounters, her unwavering resilience and strength shines through. From the very start of the novel, an 11-year-old girl, who has cerebral palsy (CP), named Melody struggles while living in a wheelchair, not being able to read, write, walk and most importantly, not being able to express her thoughts and feelings. This is all because of her CP. Her disability causes people to deem she is incapable of being seen as intelligent, when in reality, she

Despite lots of discrediting from her peers and adults around her, she knows her own worth, and is certain about her ingeniousness and potential. Furthermore, Melody's resilience is shown in her ability to persevere through the difficulties of friendship and social acceptance. She would do anything to interact and just be in the company of her peers. For example, when she was younger, she would sit out during recess because she is unable to move a lot, so she would watch and observe the children playing for the duration of their recess. But, when she started getting to go to inclusion classes with the “normal” children, she got to meet a new friend, named Rose. Rose would hang out with her during the inclusion classes, and Melody even brought her along on a family trip to the aquarium. But, she is also close to her aid at school, named Catherine, who helps her get around the school, eat lunch, and also helps stick up for Melody when people are being rude or doubting her. Also, her aid at home, Mrs. Violet Valencia, also known as Mrs. V, helps Melody do everything that Catherine does, and she also helped her learn a lot of skills as a young