“I stumble from thornbush to thornbush— my mother and father who hate each other, Rachel who hates me, and a school that gags on me like I’m a hairball” (Anderson 125). In the novel Speak by Laurie Halse Anderson there are many symbols that appear. Such as Melinda having a sanctuary and a burrow. Or the author comparing Melinda to a tree and the seasons. “Slush is frozen over. People say that winter lasts forever, but it’s because they obsess over the thermometer. North in the mountains, the maple syrup is trickling. Brave geese punch through the thin ice left on the lake. Underground, pale seeds roll over in their sleep. Starting to get restless. Starting to dream green” (Anderson 133) The author does a good job of tying all these things together. The first symbol encountered in the book is Mr. Freemans art room. “This is where you can find your soul, if you dare. Where you can touch that part of you that you’ve never dared look at before. Do not come here and ask me to show you how to draw a face. Ask me to help you find the wind” (Anderson 10). At the beginning of the novel the art room is messy and low on supplies because of the school board making budget cuts to his art supply money. Which leads him to make a painting that includes members of the school board with contorted faces, looking out a window with prison bars keeping …show more content…
The has done a good job of using many relevant symbols to portray the author in negative and positive way. She uses the winter and the dying tree as negativity, the spring and the beautiful tree as positivity along with the art room. The art room was positive enough Melinda tells Mr. Freeman about the rape “You’ve been through a lot, haven’t you?” The tears dissolve the last block of ice in my throat. I feel the frozen stillness melt down through the inside of me, dripping shards of ice that vanish in a puddle of sunlight on the stained floor. Words float up. Me: “Let me tell you about