In the novel Speak, by Laurie Halse Anderson the author uses the ‘Tree’ motif to show that Melinda’s growth though the whole book because In the first quote, Melinda is using the tree to represent how she feels as if nobody can see her. In the second quote she shows how she feels out of place. In the third quote she talks about how with some improvement, the tree could be better. Just like how with some improvement she could be better. In the beginning of the novel, the motif of Tree represents how Melinda is develops as a human, deals with her rape and all its aftermath, and discovers who she is without other people to identify her, her trees also become more complex. Melinda had a difficult time working with the tree. She begins by using