Laurie Halse Anderson, the author of Speak, who used the first person to write this novel to show readers the real situation and emotions that Melinda is facing and how she recovers from school. Depression, known as major depressive disorder, is a common and serious disorder that can affect feeling, thinking, and managing daily activities. Melinda Sordino, a high school freshman who was invited to the end of summer party. At the party, she met Andy Evans, a handsome and attractive older boy, who invited Melinda to dance with him. Melinda thought her high school dream life was coming true, she would have a boyfriend and know everyone at school. But that was the horrible beginning. Melinda was raped by Andy Evans, the boy she just met at the party. She didn't know what she could do, so she called the cops. Everyone started hating her as she crashed the party. After Melinda was raped, she suffered depression through "feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness," "thoughts of death or suicide, or attempted suicide," and "difficulty sleeping, waking up early in the morning or sleeping too much.” Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Should Not Be Banned”? Get an original essay One of the main symptoms of depression refers to “feelings of guilt, worthlessness, or helplessness.” People who experience this symptom feel guilty about the traumatic event, they believe that it is happening because of them. And they think that they are not useful or important in any way and feel helpless because their physical and mental beings are not protected or supported. “Every time I try to talk to my parents or a teacher, I spit or freeze. What is wrong with me? It's like I have some kind of spastic laryngitis. I know my head is not in good shape. I want to leave, transfer myself, teleport myself to another galaxy. I want to confess everything, to confide the guilt, mistakes and anger to someone else... My closet is a good thing, a quiet place that helps me keep these thoughts in my head where no one can. hear. Every time Melinda tries to talk with her parents and her teacher about the truth that is really happening to her, she can't say anything, she just wants to admit the crime and lets the nightmares, the flashbacks always in her mind. The quote shows that Melinda suffers from depression because she is helpless, she has no one she trusts to talk about it, no one can give her a comfort zone to express herself, she has nowhere to go which is not everywhere. her. Melinda can only go to her closet, where there is a place where she can express all her feelings and no one can find her and know the secret she has hidden. “I can see us, living in the woods, her wearing that A, me with an S maybe, S for silent, for stupid, for afraid. S for idiot. Out of shame. In Melinda's English class, she indulges in some S-words that are silent, stupid, scared, silly, and shameful for the symbolism. These words are derogatory terms that show negative meanings. This shows that Melinda is depressed and she doesn't believe in her worth, she thinks she is the worst person in the world that has ever existed. And it shows that she is guilty of herself for keeping silent about not telling anyone, stupid for keeping silent and getting raped by a boy she just met, and being ashamed of 'have violated. Furthermore, she is afraid that no one can help her get out of the.