Speak: Trees

In Laurie Halse Anderson’s book, Speak, she uses an assortment of symbolism throughout the book. The symbol that best represents our main character, Melinda, is trees; trees are a vast part of Melinda’s life. Symbols bring the story to life; ironically, trees symbolize life and growth as a person. Melinda experienced trees while she was being raped, creating trees in art class, the dying tree in her yard, and looking through the trees during school.  The use of trees helps Melinda accept the challenges she has suffered.

Anderson first introduces trees to the audience during Melinda’s art class. She drew the word tree and is expected to create this object into a work of art. Melinda tries to return the word tree for a different because she believes drawing a tree is too easy; however, we learn that Melinda struggles to bring the tree to life. The tree symbolizes death in the beginning of the art journey. At first, Melinda draws trees being hit by lightning. Melinda states, “I try to paint them so they are nearly dead, but not totally” (30). These drawing represent Melinda problem in identifying herself and symbolizing her pain. Melinda strives to draw the tree that represents herself and her emotions, at the same time dealing with the pain Andy Evans has caused. By the end of the novel, Melinda finds a way to live again and bring the tree to life. Melinda finally overcomes her emotions about that night which has caused her lack of identify and paint a tree which symbolizes herself and her healing.

The tree symbol reappears in Melinda’s beautification of her yard. Melinda rakes piles of abandoned leaves out of the bushes. She works with the "dead leaves still clinging to the oak branches by the street" (p. 167). Melinda life is symbolized by the leaves because she feels dead inside and struggles to find a safe haven, just as the leaves struggle to grasp onto the branches. The sick tree in the yard has a section dying which causes the entire tree to weaken and collapse. Melinda's life after the rape is like the sick part of the tree; her pain and suffering threaten to cross over to the other aspects of her life and ruin her entirely.  Her father explains to her the tree is being saved because the damaged parts are being removed; therefore, the tree is able to grow again and make a strong tree free from pain.  This sick tree represents how Melinda realizes she can find her new self and start over and grow into a strong young woman.

On page 122, we realized Mr. Freeman is trying to help Melinda develop an identity for herself because he tells Melinda when she is struggling with the trees, “The next time you work on your trees, don’t think about trees. Think about love, or hate, or joy, or rage. When people don’t express themselves, they die one piece at a time and walk through their days with no idea who they are.” Melinda’s tree came to symbolize how she suffered and grew throughout her freshman year in high school.