Conflict Resolution

Author’s Note: This piece is about the book Speak . It is mainly about the main conflict and how it gets resolved.

 In the book Speak  by Laurie Halse Anderson, the main character has to face many different conflicts. The main conflict happens when the main character, Melinda, gets raped at a party. This conflict soon becomes a person versus self conflict, when she struggles over how to deal with the situation. She feels as if her parents don’t pay any attention to her and she loses touch with her friends, leaving her alone with no one. Internal conflicts begin to happen to her as she struggles to make decisions.

However Melinda gradually starts to heal by expressing her feelings through paintings and art projects. One painting in particular is a picture of someone’s face hidden behind a tree, which was showing how she felt lost and detached from the world. With her confidence rising gradually she gains enough courage and tells one of her friends what happened. As Melinda starts to heal, her person versus self conflict comes to an end when finally learns to speak.