In Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson tells the story of a girl trapped in silence. Context clues, show us even from the cover that the girl is silenced. Before we know her, we know Melinda is keeping a secret. Within the first page, we can see that Melinda has been outcast-ed by her friends, and feels isolated.
The isolation is already getting to Melinda. She is acutely aware of loneliness, even surrounded by people. Natural tension is arising. In this the first page we are feeling the hook, even the most mimetic readers are asking themselves, "What did this girl do?"
By the third page we are able to see the motif of silence played out. Rachel is silently mouthing her hate. Melinda is lip biting, hurting herself, bleeding to keep silent. We can deduce not only is there a motif of silence but it is a central point of the novel. Melinda is chewing her lips to the point of bleeding to keep this secret. Then Anderson creates a second motif, of the victim/aggressor. We can see Melinda as the victim, we can see she sees authority as the aggressor.
What's her Name?
Names are employed both as a characterization device and to show the meaning the characters hold for Melinda.
Melinda Sordino Anderson chose an “any girl” name for her Point Of View character. Meaning- any of us could be (or have been) Melinda. Anderson shows her attention to detail in this name, in Spanish class they reveal the name means “my pretty.” Classmates mock her for it. Rachel/ Rachelle Obviously, the name change is from something familiar to a falsely unattainable girl. Rachel is her best friend who has unfriended her because of the incident. Rachel is angry that Melinda called the police on the party- she doesn’t find out why until the book's climax. The name change to Rachelle shows how flighty and inauthentic Rachel has become. It/Beast/Andy Evans Anderson brilliantly shows, Melinda’s strength by naming him first as “it,” then as “beast,’ finally a normal name, “Andy Evans.” The name “it” objectifies him as he objectifies women. She denies him any ability to have humanity. Also, Melinda’s ability to name him shows her changing, becoming stronger, becoming more able to actually SPEAK. Heather New Friend, and new to the area, Heather is the ultimate joiner/follower, I couldn’t help but think that this was a wink to the late 80’s cult classic Heathers. Anderson’s Heather tried so hard to be part of the “Marthas” it almost made me think, F*ck me gently with a chainsaw, Veronica. Do I look like Mother Theresa? |
David Petrakis
An intelligent boy who stands up to Mr. Neck and treats Melinda kindly. David, symbolic of King, becomes the King of Men in Melinda’s eyes. She sees him as a defender of human rights and a caring boy. He is a possible love interest. Ivy She is a former friend. While it is unclear whether Ivy is mad at Melinda, or just aloof, She warms up and supports Melinda’s art. If we understand Melinda as symbolic of the tree, Ivy is the representation of something that might wrap its way around the tree to strengthen it. The plant Ivy is free forming, the girl Ivy doesn’t necessarily go with the crowd. In the end it is Ivy who helps support Melinda’s being able to speak. Nicole She is a former friend and member of the Plain Janes, Melinda’s former clique. Meaning victory, what better name to give this character? She is an athlete who encompasses victory, she is always victorious. In the end, it is Nicole along with the girl’s Lacrosse team that come to protect Melinda from a secondary attack of Andy Evans. Melinda can become victorious in her journey to Speak because of the support of Nicole. Mr. Freeman Art Teacher- He is named “free” not because he is free, certainly he is troubled by the institution of education. He is leading his students to artistic freedom. He continues to support Melinda's art, asking for more than she gives. He asks her to speak. He encourages her to use her voice. Ms. Keen Biology Teacher- Perhaps her name Keen is Anderson’s way of nodding to this woman’s clear intellect. While she is not there to emotionally support Melinda, she is clearly there to develop the intellectual thirst within Melinda. She will teach her something, simply because she is a “keen” teacher. Hairwoman She is not much of an English teacher. Anderson uses her descriptive of “hairwoman” to name as a miscellaneous teacher who has no real effect on the characters in the story. She is just a presence- an authority figure without substance. Mr. Neck Is the Social Studies teacher. He is not very smart. Even in descriptions we can see he is more neck then head, implying he is ignorant. He is a commanding aggressive teacher who demands authority without gaining respect. Why Neck? Is it perhaps because he is part of the structure of the place, but holds no vital purpose? Is it just to signify the “jockish-ignorant” nature of the character? Principal Principal The Principal clearly is all business. He is in the business of running a school. He likes to harass students. He doesn’t seem to care about the students emotional needs. Why the double name? Anderson is saying, you know he is like a Principal’s kind of Principal, worried about diplomacy, before the students. Ms. Connors The Gym teacher, tries to recruit Melinda after noticing her Basketball prowess. Perhaps the meaning “the descendants of hound desire,” and she does certainly hound Melinda into athletics. Anderson shows, Melinda chooses to know the actual names of people she respects. She respects Ms. Keen, Mr. Freeman, and Ms. Connors. She does not respect, Principal Principal, Mr. Neck or Hairwoman. More importantly, it would be hard to follow all of these teachers without the descriptive quality at play. Anderson made a decision to depict them by their major characteristics and we were able to follow her without a huge list of characters. |