Speak Character and Plot Summary Essay Example

fond of and opens up to her, he is the one who initially gets her to come out of her shell.

He is a good man who wants the best for his students. David Petrakis - He is Melinda’s biology lab partner and one of her only friends. He is very patient with her and when she is able to speak, it is often to him. He is also one of the few people Melinda actually respects Andy Evans – The horrible kid who raped Melinda, he often preys on girls who like him only for his good looks. Heather from Ohio - This young girl is new to Merryweather High when Melinda begins her ninth-grade year.

Because she is unaware of what happened at the party, she befriends Melinda. However, Melinda realized that she is only a self-centered social climber. Rachel - This is Melinda’s best friend since elementary school. But because of the incident at the party, she drops Melinda as a friend, but once she starts dating Andy Evans, Melinda opens up to her about what happened at the party. Ivy - She shares Art class with Melinda all year long and once was her friend as well, but at least she is nice to Melinda as opposed to many of her other former friends.Theme: I believe there are a couple main themes in this book, one of which is teenage alienation, and another is post traumatic stress, and the way people deal with it.

Melinda deals with it in a very private conceded way, not telling others, until it has been bottled up inside for too long, and if she doesn’t tell someone,

it could hurt someone she likes. Melinda is also alienated from everyone because she called the police at a party where alchohol was being consumed, but what people didn’t know was that she was raped and that was the reason for her calling the policeWriting Style: Melinda's first person narration empowers Speak's literary strength. The use of monologue invites readers to become involved in the story and feel empathy for Melinda. Other than Mr. Freeman and David, readers seem to be the only people who will listen to her and what she is saying.

Melinda's private narration encourages her to speak without fear of being humiliated or further outcast. Melinda's monologue is presented in short passages with headers like journal entries, school newspaper bulletins, or phone calls.