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.
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