Speak A Coming Of Age Novel

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Recommended: Coming of age literature essay

Gurneer Gill
Ms.DelZotti
ENG1D1
May 19, 2015
The Phases of Life When growing up, we go through a lot of different phases in life. There is this one phase in life where one always acts impulsively, another where one just does not know what to do, and a last phase where one looks at life with new eyes and with maturity. Just like everyone else, Melinda Sordino, a ninth grader in Laurie Halse Anderson’s book, Speak, went through this experience after a traumatic assault at an end-of-the summer party. By looking at Melinda’s innocence at the beginning of the novel, struggles in the middle of the novel and the maturity at the end of the novel, it is evident that Speak is a coming of age novel.
Speak is a coming of age novel because of Melinda’s innocence and immaturity at the beginning of the …show more content…

Firstly, Melinda demonstrates her innocence at the beginning of the novel when she flees the cafeteria because Mr.Neck tries to track her down for her homework. Melinda is in the cafeteria during lunch, when Mr.Neck tracks her through the crowd demanding her homework. This is when Melinda makes a plan: “I cut through the lunch line, loop around a couple making out by the door and start down the hall” (Halse Anderson 25). Melinda shows immaturity when she decides to run away from her problems. She does not realize that running away from her problems is not going to help her failing grades or help her during a future job. By not facing her problems, Melinda shows her innocence and naivety. Secondly, Melinda displays her immaturity during the first-marking period of the novel, when Melinda does not stand up for herself when her class was making fun of her name. Melinda is in Spanish class when

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