Growing Pains - The Symbolism of the Tree in Speak
I have felt the paralyzing pain of internal disease. The kind of trauma that causes your mouth to curl in and swallow you whole. I, like so many other women, are walking the halls in Melinda’s shoes in “Speak.” I thought Laurie Anderson did a phenomenal job of twisting all of the tribulations a high school girl goes through, into the tree that Melinda is. Whether we’re as strong as an oak or weak as a bush, we have all gone through the disease that strikes Melinda from the inside out. Melinda is like a half-dead tree. Some parts of her strive to blossom and create beauty. Other parts are broken and diseased. Like a dead tree, Melinda needs to save herself and “cut off the damage, [so it] is possible for the tree to grow again” (187). The symbolism of a tree is significant in “Speak.” Trees reflect her growing process. In the beginning, Melinda is a sick and lifeless tree. Her view is negative and dark. She’s so far past repair, bursts of sunlight do her no good. Sunlight would be pe...
This sounds like an incredibly important book. Now that I think about it, I don't think there was ever a lesson in school about eating disorders except in health class when we were told what each one was. There was nothing about body positivity, or how people who have eating disorders can find help.
ReplyDeleteI also think this book might help other young girls realize they have an eating disorder. Without proper education, some people may not know they are suffering through something so many others are as well.