Emily's Questions- part 3- Characters

1. Do you see a connection between Melinda and her tree sketches?

   Yes, there is definitely a connection between the two. As Melinda opens up to people and develops a more positive attitude, the details and the techniques used to draw the tree become not perfect, but realistic.

2. What was your reaction when Heather broke the friendship between her and Melinda?

    I had mixed emotions about what had happened between them. I understand that Melinda is not exactly the most positive person to be around and she doesn't want to get involved in the school like Heather does, but Melinda always helped Heather out when the Marthas gave her a ton of work and Melinda would listen to her ramble on and on about whatever it is she had to whine about. Melinda was a quiet friend that needed help and Heather was so wrapped up in her own small issues that she never really gave Melinda a time to open up about her life. Melinda was always there for Heather whether she wanted to do it or not.

3. What is your opinion on the Marthas and how they have changed Heather, causing her to leave Melinda in the shadows?

    Honestly, the Marthas are aggravating. All they do is dump work on the new kids that want to joint their social clique and take all the credit for their work. They dress way to sophisticated for a high school and they think they sit on a throne when they are as equal as any other student that walks down the halls. Their up tightness puts so much stress on new comers, like Heather, to fit in that it makes them do irrational things, like dumping friends. The social standards in this group are way too high and its causing quite a few issues in the novel.

4. Do you think that Melinda and her parents' relationship has improved at all? Explain.

If anything, the relationship between her and her parents got even worse. One part in this quarter of the book is dedicated to them arguing in the principals office. It is not all Melinda's fault, her parents are always so busy that they never sit down and talk about whats going on in their lives, which is also clearly causing a strain on their marriage. They always seem to be arguing which is only creating a negative aura in the household.

5. Do you think that Mr. Neck has been nothing but a nuisance David Petrakis and to his other students?

    Mr, Neck has always been a pain to the students in the building, but no one get more agitated than David Petrakis. In one section of the book, Mr. Neck puts on a debate about when the states should have closed up their boarders, which causes the students to rise up in anger, with their leader as David, who sets up a camera in the classroom to keep an eye on him.

6. What is your personal opinion on Melinda's art teacher, Mr. Freeman?

    Mr. Freeman is an excellent character that Laurie Halse Anderson has created in the novel. He sees that Melinda is struggling with personal issues and he tries to her her express them through art instead of bottling them up. He seems like the only reasonable person she can talk to openly with and he also states that he would really like to hear what she has to say more often.

7. What happened at the end of the marking period?

    The end of the marking period is where we find out what happened to Melinda at the party that August, she was raped by a senior named Andy Evans, who shows up a few times prior to this point in the book. Melinda was showing signs of being extremely nervous and uncomfortable around him, so it was an easy guess as to what had happened.

8. Do you think that Rachel's reaction to Melinda calling the cops that night at the party was irrational?

    Absolutely, if Rachel was a true friend, she wouldn't have gotten so upset as to completely cut off all connections with Melinda and never give her a second thought. If she had honestly cared about her, she would have asked her what was wrong right away and then comforted her and reassured her that everything was going to be alright.

9. Has your opinion on Melinda changed at all throughout the story? Explain.

    Over all, Melinda's character has become more tolerable throughout this quarter of the book. Her thoughts have become more positive and she is showing a side of her that we have yet too see, which is a nice break from all the gloom and  sadness we have seen for half of the book, she is even developing a sense of humor, a darker sense of humor, but humor none the less.