Narration and Dialogue in Speak

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     For my blog post on Speak, I decided to focus on the narration in the novel.  Many works of adolescent literature are in the first person narration style, but I think it is especially significant in Speak.  Normally, this perspective is used to give the reader a better impression of the protagonist's thoughts and feelings, as well as better explain the premise of the book.  However, in Speak, the narration becomes one of the only ways Melinda can express her feelings to the reader, as she feels that she cannot communicate with anyone after she is raped.  This is brought to the forefront whenever the book moves into the "script" sections, where dialogue is reduced to names and quotes.  Melinda in these situations typically says nothing, despite offering many different opinions and reflections over the course of the novel.  Even towards the end of the novel, when she finally starts to find her voice, Melinda's main form of communication is writing, whether it is giving David notes, writing on a bathroom stall about Andy, or giving Rachel warning notes about Andy. 
   However, the points where Melinda does decide to speak up show an obvious shift in how she is conducting her life.  For most of her relationship with Heather, she does not respond to any of her requests, letting her silence signal a willingness to obey Heather's requests.  When Melinda is asked to help Heather with prom decorations, she finally speaks up, telling her that she does not want to help, holding her ground despite Heather's protests.  Finally, the most significant act of speaking up by Melinda is clearly her yelling when Andy tries to assault her again.  By using narration of her own story, Melinda is able to find her words and uses them to gain the confidence she needs to stand up to other obstacles in her life.  When she decides to tell Mr. Freeman about all she has been through, she is no longer silent in the "script", deciding instead to take the lead in the conversation, much as she does in her own life going forward.

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