"I can't do everything for you. You must walk alone to find your soul."
"What does it feel like to walk in new skin?"
"If I kick both of them out of my head, who would be left?"
- In Melinda's situation, her grades dropping, temptations and her depression, who would she be listening to? Her conscience has been taking over her head. Telling her what to do. As the devil and angel lay on her shoulders whispering into her ears, who does she listen to? What if she blocks them both out? She'd be listening to what her mind and heart are saying, but she can't even find her heart or mind. So from this point on, who does she follow? Has anyone, or have you known anyone who's felt like this before? Because I know I have. Keep reading to see what Melinda decides to do... What would YOU do?
Finally, the end of freshman year, and how much Mel has changed. Speaking up and finding her voice after all the holding back she did. As she was cleaning and removing her many pictures of her "sanctuary" Andy Evans storms in and starts an argument and finally Melinda defends herself, when before she was paralyzed and silent. Melinda holds a broken piece of glass over Andy's neck, now he can't speak. She has the power over "IT" unlike Andy she can't do any harm only defend.
Melinda goes through many stages throughout freshman year, just like her tree. The project that she never imagined would have an impact on her actions. From only drawing dead trees, she blossoms and so does her tree, into something that isn't perfect, but perfect for her. Although she has suffered, she is continuing to grow. Sharing her story with her art teacher Mr. Freeman and how her demons are finally gone being able to live life again.
After losing Heather as a friend because she was a depressed, and anti-social person. Melinda realizes that no one is ever really there for her. "No one is ever willing to listen" Mel says to herself. Her creativity begins to blossom with her tree. But soon enough Melinda finds her voice and her actions become more real than ever. One action she does is to try and protect Rachel and warn her that "IT"(Andy Evans) is no good for her and he has done horrible things and finally speaks the horrid truth. Of Course Rachel doesn't listen. Trying to deny what Mel tells her and declares that Mel is just jealous.
Melinda tells the audience finally what she has been holding in the entire time. Instead of feeling sorry for herself she feels like she is a survivor. Throughout the book, Melinda grows and we see the changes that have been made in herself.
Melinda is debating between wanting to leave Rachel to her own fate and speaking to Rachel to protect her from harm. While she struggles between the two ideas, she stares at her Maya Angelou poster in her closet and knows that Maya Angelou wants her to say something. So she writes an anonymous letter and leaves it in Rachel's locker for her to find.
On the last day of spring break, Melinda wanders around the mall and finds her friend from art class Ivy, sketching. They begin to talk about their art projects and ivy encourages Melinda, telling her she is talented and begin to work on a tree together. She then there sees that she is truly talented, she was always trying to make it perfect but in reality nothing is.
"Freshmeat." That's what IT whispers. … I can smell him and I run and he remembers and he knows.
Well I wonder what would make some one so mortified, stay tuned to find out!
“The marks humans leave are too often scars.”
Melinda's sore throat and bad habit of biting her lips expresses her inner turmoil and depression.
“Does not everything depend on our interpretation of the silence around us?”
Trees...they brake, burn, fall, grow, just like Melinda. Mr. Freeman, Melinda's art teacher, assigned a project to turn a tree into a piece of artwork. Little did Melinda know at that moment that this tree would symbolize her life. Another outcast, Heather, became friends with Melinda but for all the wrong reasons. Heather and Melinda were total opposites. Heather cared about being accepted by the "cool" kids which was not Melinda.
High school is a tough and confusing place, especially for Melinda Sordino. Being that its her first day, its already off to a terrible start. Her old friends aren't talking to her, she's being bullied, and she's afraid to speak for herself. You can say she's an outcast, or in other words, she doesn't fit in. Well, in exception to her art class. Melinda thinks of this as her sanctuary and its the only place she enjoys and feels safe.
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