Sometimes ignoring reality is easier than facing it. When traumatizing events occur, repression is a common coping mechanism used to deal with one's feelings and thoughts. However, as an unknown person once said: “When something bad happens you have three choices. You can let it define you, destroy you, or you can let it strengthen you. In the novel Speak, written by Laurie Halse Anderson, Melinda Sordino experiences this lesson firsthand. In the story, Melinda is outwardly silent, but on the inside she is anything but silent. As the novel progresses, Melinda gradually learns to accept herself and open up to other people. Throughout the novel, Anderson's development of Melinda's character shows the reader how people's negative experiences do not have to define them. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay When Melinda first describes how she became a social outcast, she makes no attempt to justify her actions. She explains that the reason she is treated so cruelly by her peers is that she called the police while she was at a party and left everything. Instead of trying to delve deeper into her motivations for doing so or explain her point of view, Melinda seems to avoid further explanation. Because of its vagueness, it is easy for the reader to suspect that something has happened to Melinda since the beginning of the novel. Although Melinda represses this for much of the novel, however, her real reason for calling the police is something that even she doesn't want to acknowledge. Later in the novel, Melinda reveals that she was raped at the party, which explains her ambiguity in broaching the topic. Ever since the party, she has been in denial, refusing to acknowledge what happened to herself and other people. When her old friend, Rachel, starts dating the man who raped her, Melinda realizes that she must accept that she was raped to help Rachel avoid being exposed to the same assault. When he tells Rachel, “I didn't call the police to break up the party. I called them because a boy raped me,” she finally admits what happened to her, which signifies an important development in her character (183). At the beginning of the novel, and for most of it, Melinda becomes convinced that her feelings and thoughts are irrelevant. She feels like no one cares what she has to say and that her words are simply a burden to others. When she begins to realize that other people care and feel the same way she does , stops invalidating her own feelings. Near the beginning of the story, Melissa warns people to stay away from her rapist by writing a warning against him on a bathroom. Melissa later revisits the stall she wrote about, where she is surprised to see that other people support her. She finds that many other girls have written things like “He's a monster. He should be locked up. This event marks an important turning point for Melissa, as it is the moment she realizes that she is not alone in her opinion (185). As the reader can tell from the moment Melinda's character appears, she is not an outgoing or friendly person. She keeps to herself, barely saying a word to others, even when spoken to first. Mostly, his behavior is a result of his assault and the trauma he faces both during and after. Following her rape, Melinda believes that what she has to say is not worth expressing. However, after realizing that his thoughts and feelings are valid and that his sexual assault and his.