Melinda's Violation In Speak

Melinda is a freshman in high school, with no friends. The past summer, she called the cops on a party. At least that's what everyone heard. The book is called Speak. She goes through a lot inside the book. It’s someone's job to tell you how she has changed. Read on learn how she has developed through the book. With every page, every sentence, and every word, you get closer to what happens.
Melinda has portrayed herself to be extremely quiet. “I wonder how long it would take for anyone to notice if I just stopped talking.” People did begin to notice. Mostly her parents. She doesn’t talk, at all, she’s completely mute. Her grades have dropped and she doesn’t talk to anyone. Not even her parents. “All the crap you hear on TV about communication
and expressing feelings is a lie. No one really cares what you have to say.” Melinda doesn’t trust people, because she thinks no one cares. So, she doesn’t talk. Whenever someone talks to her all she does is nod her head.
Melinda finds it harder and harder to speak; a mind block that symbolizes the fact that she cannot talk about her rape.
Victims are often ashamed of what has happened to them, and think that no one will believe them. In this book, Mel’s decision to keep her violation a secret is a tragic but understandable one. Throughout the book she explores different ways of communicating. From passing notes to writing graffiti on bathroom stalls. A part in the beginning explains that she wanted to scream, but couldn’t find the words. “I open my mouth to breath, to scream, and his hand covers it. In my head my voice is as clear as a bell: “NO I DON’T WANT TO!” But I can’t spit it out. I’m trying to remember how we got on the ground and where the moon went and wham! Shirt up, shorts down, and the ground smells wet and dark and NO! I’m not really here, I’m definitely back at Rachel’s crimping my hair and gluing on fake nails, and he smells like beer and mean and he hurts me hurts me hurts me and gets up and zips his jeans and smiles.” Melissa didn’t want it to be happening, she wanted it to be a dream. Then again, who
wouldn’t?
Closer towards the middle of the book, she accidentally speaks up. Only a phrase, but it’s enough to get her mothers attention. Melinda decided that she needed a mental health day and “fakes” being sick. She is surprised, when her mom takes her temperature, that she has 102.2 temperature. She imagines a talk show, and hosts speaking to her. They all tell her she was raped and that he needs to speak up. She wants nothing more then or the whispers in her mind to go away. “When people don’t express themselves, they die one piece at a time.” That is what's happening to Melinda. She drifts farther and farther away, because she closed herself off.
Last, towards the end of the book, Andy tries to rape Melinda again.
He locks himself and her in the closet she used to hide during the year. “He pins me against the closet door. Maya Angelou looks at me. She tells me to make some noise. I open my mouth and take a deep breath.” About a paragraph later Melinda yells out “NNNOOO!!!” She fought Andy back, and ended up holding a shard of glass against his neck. Melinda pushes just hard enough to raise one drop of blood. The lacrosse team found them in the closet, after she screamed. Melinda had never felt comfortable talking to anyone about what happen. In the last chapter of the book, though, she finally decides it’s time to open up. “Mr. Freeman: You get an A+. You worked hard on this.” He hands me the box of tissues. “You’ve been through a lot, haven't you?” The last sentence in the book comes from Melinda. “Let me tell you about it.” By the ending stopping there, we know she told Mr. Freeman about what
happen.
With every word, every sentence, and every page, you’ll finally reach the end. The end is just another word for being a new beginning. Maybe, this will be Melinda's new beginning.