Previous
Part 4, Chapter 11
Themes
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Speak, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Coming of Age
Communication versus Silence
Appearance versus Reality
Family and Friendship
Isolation, Loneliness, and Depression
Memory and Trauma
Summary
Analysis
Melinda decides to pretend to be sick, only to find that she actually does have a fever. She tells her mom that she doesn’t feel well. Her mother responds that if she’s talking, she really must be sick.
Even when she doesn’t intend to be mean, Melinda’s mother is still brusque and insulting.
Themes
