Emily's Journal Entry #4

Laurie Halse Anderson really stepped up her game in the last quarter of Speak. Melinda's character blossomed beautifully and she has taken many steps in becoming the person she once was. One of the first things that showed Melinda's growth was when she cleaned up the yard after the snow finally melted. It was a small act, but it showed that she has the potential to work hard on things and when she asked her father to pick up flower seeds, it really showed us that she enjoys seeing the outcome of her work. Another stepping stone for Melinda was when she finally stood up to Heather. After month of Heather using Melinda to help with the work that the Marthas dumped on her, then cut all ties with Mel and fully joined the Marthas because Mel had a "reputation", she came crawling back for her assistance with prom decorations, she said no. It must have been extremely difficult for Mel, but it really helped with her confidence. There was a step taken back when Melinda told Rachel who raped her the night of the party. Rachel had just started dating Andy Evans, the boy that raped her. The conversation between Mel and Rachel started off well, Rachel was very upset that Mel didn't tell her sooner about the rape and she asked her if she had told anyone and was very sympathetic towards her. The downfall of the conversation came quickly when Rachel asked Melinda who raped her. Mel answered truthfully, that Andy Evans had done it, and Rachel blew up at her, saying that she was a liar and that she was just jealous. Which lead to the climax of the book, where Melinda was locked into her closet by Andy Evans, he was trying to rape her again, Melinda broke the mirror in the closet, held a sharp piece to his neck, drawing a bit of blood and said, " I said no." Andy opened the door to see the lacrosse team there, attracted by Melinda's cries. The final scene is where Melinda finally speaks out to someone, her art teacher, Mr. Freeman. I really enjoyed the ending of this book because Melinda saved herself, no one had to help her. This book sends a message to anyone that has been harassed, that it's okay to speak out to someone about it. For a book that started off being a downer, it had a wonderful ending.