Symbolism In Speak By Laurie Halse Anderson

Speak an Essential Read
The novel Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson uses a realistic plot and influential symbolism to depict the development of moral judgement in young adults. Novels written with the needs and interests of adolescent readers in mind create a love for reading by addressing relevant topics; as a result, making it an essential read for all coming of age adults.
Realistic Plot
Young adult literature that addresses the needs and the interest of its readers, becomes an incentive for them to read more, especially during a time when adolescents prefer to read about issues that they can relate to their, “physical growth, sexual awareness, emotional upheaval, and cognitive development” (Bushman & Haas 1). Speak, a trauma narration told

The recurring use of trees allows readers to understand Melinda feelings beyond words, as readers are able to visualize her feelings literally through art. Readers of YA readers use symbolism as a way to understand the mood of a novel; at the beginning of the novel, Melina selects a tree as her year-long art project, where she is asked to make her “object say something, express and emotion, speak to every person who looks at it” (Anderson 11). As struggles express emotion through her tree, she is equally incompetent with sharing what occurred the night the police was called. Her meager attempts to construct her tree reflects her misery, “I’ve been painting watercolors of trees that have been hit by lightning…..Mr. Freeman doesn’t say a word about them” (Anderson 30). Another failed attempt included the use of turkey bones, which prompted Mr. Freeman to say, “This has meaning. Pain” (64). Without verbalizing her feelings, it is evident that she is troubled, as readers can understand the emotions behind her artwork.
The mirror was another form of symbolism that conveyed Melinda’s frustration with herself, as she was unable to face her reflection and subsequently avoided mirrors since the rape. The avoidance is a representation of the lack of ability for her to face her feelings; the only mirror see appears to see herself in is at the department

After the rape, she stops speaking and her friends reject her, her parents are not interested in her, and her teachers view her silence as a form of insubordination instead of a cry for help; causing her to deal with the pain alone. The separation helps the theme of standing up for one’s self to emerge, as Bushman and Haas stated, “characters struggle with their identities, with their relationships with adults and other adolescents, and with their choice, which often suggest their concern with moral questions of right and wrong” (Bushman & Haas 16). A story many readers can resonate with because they are the same age, may have been a part of the same ridicule from their peers, and/or felt their parents did not