How Can Melinda Become An Outcast

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High school can be a place full of cliques and groups of friends but some people aren’t always in cliques. If there is a person who doesn’t always like the same things as other people they might not fit in with a group of people. In high school a person may become different and not find a group of friends that they fit in with. With no group of friends a person in high school may start to become an outcast. Laurie Halse Anderson, the author of Speak used Melinda to show that any high school student can become an outcast. Melinda shows her becoming an outcast when on the first day in the auditorium she has to sit by herself. As Melinda sits by herself on the bleachers she thinks to herself “I am outcast”(Anderson 4). At this point in the story …show more content…

As Melinda wondered by herself into the senior wing whence finds an abandoned janitor closet, She “turns a corner opens a door and steps into darkness.”(Anderson 25). In other words, Melinda is in the dark and alone with no friends to be with her. From this we can infer that the author is trying to create a place where Melinda can be herself with no one to see. This example shows that Melinda had no friends to be with and that’s why she was alone in the janitor closet. This overall effects the story by showing how Melinda acts with no friends and how she conducts herself throughout the day alone. Melinda showed her sadness when she goes by herself outside and makes a snow angel alone. As Melinda went outside in the snow she said to herself “I just have to make a snow angel”(Anderson 71). Basically the author is showing that Melinda is alone with no friends and just wants to have fun in the snow. This evidence highlights that Melinda can be alone with no one there for her and still be in a good mood. Anderson allows the reader to realize that Melinda can be alone but still be a normal kid. This section of the story suggests that Melinda doesn’t care if she has friends to hang out with or

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