Social Outcast In Laura Anderson's Speak

Norman Vincent Peale once said "Stand up to your obstacles and do something about them, you will find that they haven't half the strength you think they have." In the book Speak, Melinda a young girl just beginning her first year of high school has some obstacles from her past, destroying her future. Melinda was faced with the unfortunate affects of being sexually abused and it holds her back. Melinda goes through many different stages before all of the pain goes away. Melinda's greatest obstacle is growing as a person; throughout the book she overcomes this by developing socially, academically, and emotionally.
Melinda has found her voice over the course of the bok and grows socially because of it. In the beginning Melinda was a social outcast.
She didn't have any friends, she wouldn't talk to anybody and she hurt herself by keeping it bottled up inside. People did not like her because she would not speak up: “Aren’t you the one that called the cops at Kyle Rodgers’s party at the end of the summer? . . . . My brother got arrested at that party. He got fired from his job because of it. I can’t believe you did that. Assshole.” (Anderson 27 – 28). This proves that Melinda is a social outcast and people around her don't like her. However by the end of the book, Melinda grows and becomes a social teenager. She talks to Rachel, her old bestfriend, and isn't known as the girl who called the cops at the party anymore: “I didn’t call the cops to break up the party . . . I called . . . them because some guy raped me.” (Anderson 183). This proves that Melinda developed enough confidence to tell Rachel what happened to her last summer. All in all, Melinda has learned that speaking up is much better than not speaking at all, helping her socially. Melinda has not only grown socially but she has grown academically as well.
Furthermore Melinda has improved in her academics, and aims to do better in her classes.
In the beginning, Melinda didn't care about school. She wasn't paying attention in her classes, she was not doing any of her homework and she even cut class: “The first hour of blowing off school is great. No one to tell me what to do, what to read and what to say” (Anderson 97). This proves that Melinda skipped school and enjoyed the freedom that she had when doing it. However Melinda gets punished for this and after a bad experience in detention, she realizes that she doesn't want to be punished anymore. So Melinda decides to follow the rules and try to do better. She starts going to all her classes and actually takes school more solemnly: “I’ve been going to most of my classes. Good girl Mellie. Roll over, Mellie. Sit, Mellie. No one has patted me on the head, though. I passed an algebra test, I passed an English test and I passed a biology test” (Anderson 143). This quote distinctly shows that she is trying and really wants to improve her grades. Even though Melinda started out bad, she improved her grades and became academically responsible. In addition to growing academically and socially, Melinda has also grown emotionally
too.
Melinda has had a rough time in high school but she has grown emotionally. To start, Melinda is sad, depressed and not emotionally stable. She has kept all of her feelings bottled up and it's hurting her. Her lips and wrists are a physical sign that she is emotionally unstable: “I open a paper clip and scratch it across the inside of my left wrist . . . . I draw little windowcracks of blood, etching line after line until it stops hurting. It looks like I arm wrestled a rosebush”(Anderson 87). This proves that Melinda is very emotionally unstable, that it's come to the point where she is physically hurting herself to relieve some of the pressure that is compiling inside her head. However she realizes that it isn't her fault and that she should not take the blame for what happened. As a result, Melinda acquires confidence and becomes more emotionally balanced. In fact, she becomes so confident that she's able to stand up to Andy Evans: “No. A sound explodes from [Melinda]. ‘NNNOOO!!!’” (Anderson 194). This proves that she has matured because for the first time ever, Melinda defended herself. In conclusion, Melinda started of slow, but bit by bit changed into an emotionally courageous teenager.
Despite the damage that was done to Melinda, she overcomes the obstacle of growing as a person by flourishing socially, academically and emotionally. By discovering her inner strength, Melinda is able to reach out and become more presumptuous in her life. People need a balance in life and if something offsets that balance it can dramatically change a person and that person’s way of life.