Speak

Melinda has a strained and distant relationship with her parents that is only exacerbated by her trauma and refusal to speak. In the novel's early pages, she hints that she suffers from verbal and emotional abuse at the hands of her parents. They also regularly fight with each other as Melinda hides under her covers, trying not to hear it. While Melinda desperately needs a safe place to turn and loving parents she can tell her experiences to, she instead goes home to a cold and cruel household that, more often than not, only compounds her trauma and worsens her tendency toward self-harm. Melinda eventually starts to break the ice with her parents when she attends her classes, helps out around the house, and slowly starts speaking to them again. Doing so seems to relieve some of the tension between her parents as well, and the family’s trajectory turns toward one of healing.

Melinda’s mother works as a manager at a retail clothing store in the inner city. She is almost always stressed, late, and in a hurry, and she rarely stops to talk to her daughter or find out what is going on with her. Melinda and her mother communicate mainly through notes and rarely see each other. When Melinda’s parents find out that her grades are slipping, Melinda’s mother attempts to be kind about it but soon resorts to verbal abuse, using what Melinda describes as a “Death Voice”: “When I was a kid, this voice made me pee my pants” (36). Melinda actively avoids interacting with her mother as much as possible, and it is not until the novel’s conclusion that she finally starts to spend time with her again.

Melinda’s father is an insurance salesman who spends most of his time working. When he is home, he is either tired and grumpy, or angry and aggressive. He often fights with his wife or threatens Melinda to behave and perform better in school. For this reason, Melinda hides from her father, scrambling up to her room when he arrives home. Over the winter holidays, Melinda accompanies her father to work, where he makes her stuff and lick envelopes all day as he sits on the phone chatting with friends. Melinda resents her father and cannot bring herself to respect him in this moment, and when he sees how little work she has done at the end of the day, he “mentions a need for professional help” (74) but never follows through on this (clearly showing he was not really concerned). Despite all of this, Melinda still loves her father, and she speaks to him first when she decides to talk to her parents again. He compliments her work in the yard, and she asks him to bring home some flower seeds.

Mr. Freeman is Melinda’s art teacher. He is a round character who serves a key role in helping Melinda find her voice after it has been lost and discover The Importance of Art as a Form of Self-Expression and Healing. Mr. Freeman is, in many ways, a stereotypical art teacher. He is bold, emotional, and free-thinking, encouraging his students to approach art and life in as many different ways as possible. Throughout the year, Mr. Freeman works on his own painting, a depiction of school board members stuck behind prison bars. After getting in trouble for giving all of his students As, he slashes the painting in half and starts a new one. Mr. Freeman is also compassionate and understanding, supporting Melinda even though she does not speak and giving her a place to feel comfortable at school—one she refers to as her sanctuary.

Mr. Freeman gives his students a year-long art project in which they must learn to transform a random object into art. They do not get to choose their object; it is a random draw. Mr. Freeman aims to force his students to turn something into art that they normally would not, noting that art class is a place “where you can touch that part of you that you’ve never dared look at before” (10). The prospect of self-discovery and approaching art in this unconventional way excites and motivates Melinda, giving her something to look forward to and strive toward.

When Melinda is at her darkest and lowest point during the winter, struggling to speak, to create her tree, or to do anything at all, Mr. Freeman notices that something is wrong. He explains to her that art is about emotional expression, and that she should stop thinking about trees and start thinking about what moves her. Mr. Freeman plants a seed of encouragement in Melinda when he tells her, “You’re a good kid. I think you have a lot to say. I’d like to hear it” (123). At the end of the novel, Melinda’s final project turns out to be a simple imperfect sketch of a tree. Mr. Freeman gives her an A+, and she decides to tell him about everything that has happened to her over the past year. 

Heather befriends Melinda out of desperation when she first moves into town and attends a new school. She is a perfectionist and crowd-pleaser who cares little about Melinda’s welfare or her friendship. Instead, Heather uses Melinda to gain leverage with a social group called the Marthas. She asks Melinda to help her with a project, but Melinda is not allowed to reveal that she took part. When Heather and Melinda are together at school, other students often gossip about them and point out how strange Melinda is. Heather never defends her. Melinda has no other friends and is desperate not to be alone constantly, so she settles for the little companionship that Heather offers. When they are together, Heather always talks about herself and her shallow problems with the Marthas.

In the winter, Heather tells Melinda that she no longer wants to be her friend, calling her depressing and negative: “You are no fun to be around and I think you need professional help” (105). While Heather is not entirely wrong, she lets Melinda down unnecessarily hurtful and abrasive manner. Near the novel’s conclusion, Heather crawls back to Melinda for help again. She has the nerve to insult Melinda’s room decorations before asking her for a favor. This time, Melinda has found her voice and stands up to Heather, telling her no while avoiding telling the entire truth: “I bite my lip. Does she want to know the truth, that she’s self-centered and cold? That I hope all the seniors yell at her?” (179). Instead, Melinda makes up an excuse about being busy and asks Heather to leave her house.

Rachel is Melinda’s ex-best friend. She is a stereotypical popular girl who follows the crowd and prioritizes conformity and being well-liked. Rachel is a static character who rejects and isolates Melinda until the novel's end. At the novel’s beginning, Rachel is introduced as the person who most obviously and blatantly abandoned Melinda after she called the police at the party. Rachel invited Melinda to go, and Melinda does not tell Rachel until much later about why she called the police. Rather than asking Melinda what happened, Rachel completely abandons her, and all the other girls in their friend circle do the same. Melinda watches Rachel throughout the year in silence, noticing as Rachel goes from friend group to friend group, changing her personality and clothing every couple of months to fit in.

When Melinda observes that Rachel is dating Andy, she panics at the thought of Rachel being hurt like she was. Although Rachel has mistreated Melinda for months, Melinda still cares about Rachel and does not wish any harm to befall her. Melinda’s first attempt to speak the truth to anyone happens when she sends an anonymous note to Rachel warning her to stay away from Andy (Finding One’s Voice After It Has Been Lost). Rachel ignores the message and continues to date him, so Melinda takes a more direct approach. Sitting in her closet one day, she stares at the Maya Angelou poster and feels compelled to tell Rachel exactly what happened at the party. She approaches Rachel in the library and writes out the details of the rape on a note. Rachel accuses Melinda of jealousy and lying, and the distance between them grows even further. On prom night, Andy advances on Rachel, and she finally realizes he is not worth spending time with. Afterward, Andy attacks and tries to rape Melinda again, blaming her for ruining his reputation. 

David Petrakis is a classmate who personifies the importance of speaking out for one’s rights. David is intelligent and excels in every class. He is compassionate and non-judgmental, treating Melinda like a normal human rather than ostracizing her. David’s character comes to full importance when, in Mr. Neck’s social studies class, he calls Mr. Neck out as racist and xenophobic. He grows sick of the teacher’s prejudiced rantings and decides to sue him. Melinda, taken aback by David’s courage and self-assurance, develops a crush on him. David sets up a camera in Mr. Neck’s class to keep him in check and ensure he can speak as often as he wants. When Melinda is told she must read her suffragette report aloud to the class, she takes inspiration from David and turns it into a protest for her right to silence. David criticizes her approach, noting that “the suffragettes were all about speaking up, screaming for their rights. You can’t speak up for your right to be silent. That’s letting the bad guys win. […] Don’t expect to make a difference unless you speak up for yourself” (159). Melinda takes these words to heart and changes her approach, gradually telling the truth about Andy and Finding Her Voice After It Had Been Lost.

Mr. Neck is Melinda’s social studies teacher. He is a flat character defined by his aggressiveness, intimidation, and prejudice. Melinda nicknames him Mr. Neck due to his thick neck. She speculates that his rage is due to steroid abuse. At the beginning of the school year, Mr. Neck uses his class time to rant about how America should close its borders to immigrants so that they can stop stealing jobs from true Americans. When David Petrakis calls him out as racist and xenophobic, a months-long conflict begins between the two of them. Melinda watches as David fights for his right to free speech and prevents Mr. Neck from promoting prejudice in the classroom. David inspires Melinda to stand up to Mr. Neck in the final weeks of the school year when she writes a message about the suffragette movement on the board in his class and refuses to speak: “The suffragettes fought for their right to speak. They were attacked, arrested, and thrown in jail for daring to do what they wanted” (156). She uses this platform to demand her right to avoid delivering her report orally. David later criticizes her interpretation of the suffragette movement, reminding her that she needs to speak up if she ever wants anything to change. Still, Melinda’s gesture of standing up to someone who actively intimidates her lays the foundation for her to stand up to Andy in the closet soon after.