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Kayla Reagan

Professor Reynolds

ENG 310

05 September 2017

The Impact of the Desires, Needs, and Conflicts of Rachel Bruin

In her novel Speak, Laurie Halse Anderson illustrates the desires, needs, and conflicts

of high school students (Tyson 423). Specifically, we get an inside look at the life of Melinda

Sordino, the main character of Andersons novel. Speak is written through Melindas perspective

which could lead readers to believe that she shapes the entire story. However, though Melinda is

the primary character and is also the most transparent, the other characters play a vital role in

how the story is shaped. Not only does the novel describe the inner conflicts within Melinda after

being sexually assaulted, but also demonstrates the isolation she experiences due to characters

such as Rachel Bruin, Melindas ex-best friend (Anderson 5). Rachels desire to fit in and

conform leaves Melinda feeling alone, which is a significant component of the novels plot.

Without Rachel, the story would lose an imperative part of its impactful message on the effects

of sexual assault and rape culture.

Beginning in the first section of Andersons novel, we are introduced to Rachel as

someone who is not particularly friendly. The first interaction between Melinda and her ex-best

friend is Rachel mouthing I hate you, which is a clear indicator that Rachel has abandoned

Melinda (Anderson 5). Later in the novel, it is revealed that Rachels hatred towards her former

friend resulted from Melinda calling the cops at a party. Throughout the story, we see that Rachel

is someone who desires to not only fit in and be popular, but also conform to whatever group
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she is currently trying to join. Rachels desires are first revealed in Speak when her new name

and style are described as follows: Rachel is with me in the bathroom. Edit that. Rachelle is

with me in the bathroom. She has changed her name... [she] is reclaiming her European heritage

by hanging out with the foreign-exchange students She wears black stockings with runs and

doesn't shave under her arms (Anderson 20). Through this quote, we can see that Rachel feels

the need to change herself in order to be liked by others. Furthermore, Rachel feels inclined to

change groups according to who she thinks will help her reputation. For example, she

[experiments] with Islam. She wears a scarf on her head and some brown-and-red gauzy harem

pants. Her eyes are ringed with black eyeliner thick as crayon (Anderson 128). Rachels need

and desire to improve and uphold her reputation are what lead her to abandon Melinda in her

time of need.

As explained above, Rachel feels pressure to behave and think certain ways in order to

gain status as a 9th grader. Though she demonstrates her desires through her numerous changes

between social groups and changes to herself, perhaps more importantly, she demonstrates it

through her relationship with Andy Evans. Andy, a senior at Merryweather High, also the one

who sexually assaulted Melinda, only places further distance between Melinda and Rachels

relationship even after the rape occurred. Due to Rachels behavior, it can be assumed that the

reason she abandoned Melinda in the first place was to uphold her reputation and stay cool. If

Rachel had not stopped being friends with Melinda, she could have also been seen as an

outcast, who supported calling the cops at the party (Anderson 4). Rachels decisions

throughout the novel play a significant role in the message regarding rape culture. The character

of Rachel also helps illustrate the possible emotions and experiences of sexual assault victims.

Rachel not only ditches Melinda in her time of need, but also does not believe Melinda when she
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tells her what Andy has done, Rachel says: I can't believe you. You're jealous. You're a twisted

little freak and you're jealous that I'm popular and I'm going to the prom and so you lie to me like

this You are so sick. (Anderson 184). Rachel, instead of believing someone she has known

since elementary school, only emphasizes the reality of rape culture by saying that Melinda was

a liar.

As a result of Rachels inner conflict within herself about finding who she really was

while being popular, Melinda gets thrown to the side. As we read Speak, we discover how

isolated and worthless Melinda truly feels. If she had someone by her side such as Rachel, these

feelings could have been lessened or even avoided completely. Melinda expresses her feelings of

loneliness multiple times throughout the book, many times in reference to Rachel. In the very

first section of speak, Melinda labels herself by saying: I am Outcast (Anderson 4). Not only

does Melinda feel like an outcast because she no longer belongs to a specific group, but because

she has been abandoned by someone who she has shared special memories with since a young

age. Melinda feels so isolated that she even states when referring to a party that: I knew I

wouldn't get an invitation. I would be lucky to get an invitation to my own funeral, with my

reputation (Anderson 41). Furthermore, not only did rejection from her friends lead to mental

and emotional issues, but Melinda even physically harmed herself. For example, Melinda

describes herself as having a chewed-up horror of a mouth, and her nails are bitten to the

bleeding point (Anderson 17,83). Melinda can't stop biting [her] lips and one girl even

describes them by saying that It looks like she's got a disease or, something (Anderson, 17,

45). Melindas self-inflicted harm further emphasizes the pain that has manifested within herself.

By analyzing both Melindas and Rachels emotions as well as actions, Anderson allows

the reader a chance to better understand the effects of sexual assault and the misconceptions that
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society holds. Rachels character not only illustrates the detrimental results of rape culture, but

also creates empathy within the reader for Melinda and what she has gone through. While

Melinda obviously represents how sexual assault can change someones life, Rachel represents a

society, such as our own, that continues to create a cycle of rape culture which reinforces the

isolation that sexual assault victims feel. Rachel, like society commonly does, assumes first that

Melinda was asking to be an outcast by calling the cops, and then assumes she was a liar when

she finally spoke up about being raped. Laurie Halse Anderson uses her characters to spread an

awareness of the injustices that take place in our society, such as sexual assault victims being

labeled automatically as liars or jealous, or even as Andy would say that they wanted it just as

bad (Anderson 193).

Overall, by analyzing Rachels behavior throughout the novel and how it affects Melinda,

we can conclude that Rachel plays a vital role in the formation of the story. Rachels character

functions not only to illustrate the isolation that can result from rape, but also the overwhelming

need to conform within society. If the novel were devoid of Rachels character, Andersons

message regarding societys misconceptions against sexual assault victims would not have been

as impactful. Throughout the novel, readers are able to relate to Melindas feelings regarding the

loss of her best friend, which would be impossible without the character of Rachel. In the end,

Rachel serves to create an emotional connection between the reader and Melinda which develops

a better understanding of the emotions of sexual assault victims while also unmasking the ugly

reality of rape culture within our society.

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Works Cited

Anderson, Laurie Halse. Speak. S.l., Farrar, Straus & Giroux, 1999.

Tyson, Lois. Critical theory today: a user-Friendly guide. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon,

Routledge, 2015.