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Symbolism Of Bedrooms In Anderson's Speak

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Bedrooms are a repeated symbol used in Anderson’s Speak that expresses the struggles with establishing identity. An early example of symbolism involving bedrooms occurs when Melinda criticizes her room for not matching her personality. Just after Melinda rushes up to her room, she is reminded of how out of place and strange her bedroom is. Melinda thinks, “My room belongs to an alien. It is a postcard of who I was in fifth grade. … My room was stuck in the middle, a bit stolen from everyone else. The only things that were really mine were my stuffed-rabbit collection from when I was a little kid and my canopy bed.” (Anderson 15-16). Using words like alien, stolen, and everyone else, Anderson’s diction shows that Melinda is uncomfortable with …show more content…

Constructing an identity is a complicated task that takes time, diligence and effort to accomplish. Anderson later uses bedrooms again to emphasize that many people struggle with establishing their identity, not just Melinda. While Melinda is inside of Heather’s room, she believes that the bedroom is a perfect fit for Heather’s identity. Anderson writes, “ All her clothes wait patiently, organized by type--skirts together, pants hanging by their cuffs, her sweaters stacked in plastic bags on shelves. The room screams Heather” (Anderson 33). Shortly afterwards, Melinda finds out that Heather is also having the same issue with crafting her identity; the perfect room is a false perception of Heather. Anderson writes, “ She pushes her books to the floor and knocks the green nail polish on the sand colored carpet. ‘Why is it so hard to make friends here? Is there something in the water? In my old school I could have gone out for the musical and worked on the newspaper and chaired the car wash. Here people don’t even know I exist.’ … She flops on her bed and bursts into sobs.” (Anderson 34). Heather’s room and personality look perfect on the outside, Heather's true self is shown when she

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