Just for the record—I completely changed my mind about Anderson’s book. The class discussion really got me thinking. I decided to go back and reread certain parts, and this time I focused on the subtleties of the story. The second time around I ignored things that annoyed me the first time, like Melinda calling her principal “Principal Principal,” and found myself really enjoying it. I realized that the parts that initially bothered me were sections that a young adult reader would most likely find funny and relate to. Anderson is definitely saying a lot despite the terse descriptions and unadorned language. She is very brave because she explores serious topics that many young adult authors are too afraid to confront.
Anyway, I’m supposed to be talking about metaphors. There is a lot of symbolism in this book, and Anderson goes out of her way to make the reader aware of it. An inexperienced young adult reader might overlook the symbols, so Anderson discusses Hawthorne and how he used light, dark, and the weather to show the reader how Hester was feeling in The Scarlet Letter. Anderson does the same thing as Hawthorne with weather, because it is winter for the majority of the novel. The world is frozen and dark up until the point where Melinda decides to confront her demons and acknowledge her pain. Another primary symbol that runs throughout the novel is the tree. The tree symbolizes Melinda’s growth as a person. When she pulls the paper out of the globe and realizes that she has to draw trees for the entire semester, she tries to put it back and choose another. Mr. Freeman doesn’t let her. He informs her that she has chosen her destiny and that she cannot change it. She initially struggles to create trees and becomes frustrated during the process, which suggests that she struggles with her emotions as well as the idea of coming forward about the rape. She begins by drawing trees that were struck by lighting, which symbolizes her pain. She also creates a beautiful tree, one which displeases Freeman because the tree is too perfect. The drawing of a flawless tree absent of scars suggests her repression of emotions. While she initially struggles with creating trees, she eventually manages to create haunting and impressive images. She takes her pain and transforms it into art. Melinda’s connection to trees is also evident when she returns home to find men chopping off branches from the tree in her front yard. She is certain that they are killing the tree, but her father informs her that the tree is sick and that cutting off the diseased and damaged part allows the tree to grow again. This suggests that Melinda is not destined to remain consumed by her pain and stuck in the past. While she will never forget what happened to her, she can move beyond it and start to live again.
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3 comments:
This is such a beautiful and thoughtful response. Yes, I think growing, planting, a tree scarred and hit by lightning--all so metaphorically significant, and I feel that even if young adults would not be fully conscious of the tree metaphor, its significance gets absorbed and layers the story.
I have to agree with the tree symbolism; I had just one thing to note.
I thought it was interesting how the medium for the art changed. She spent a lot of time carving out linoleum blocks, struggling each time because she couldn't make mistakes in that medium. It seemed as though she was trying to fix everything and make it perfect in one go; there was no room for her to try things out and see how she felt about them - as soon as she carved, she couldn't go back.
Meanwhile, her final project, I believe, was drawn (I say this because she adds birds; I think that would've been hard to carve - please correct me if I'm wrong!) Ivy is the one who told her to try paper; it's a more versatile medium than linoleum and is merciful to mistakes. The paper, in contrast to the linoleum, is flexible and withstands change - something she has to be in real life in order to become a fully functional adult who can come to terms with the pain she has experienced.
Just my two cents! <3
Yes this is exactly what I was trying to say in my post before I read yours. Also, Melinda’s art project is a continuous concern throughout the entire book. It is the only thing that she really thinks about and studies. It is the only thing that interests her and the only homework that she willingly sets her mind to. Yet it is also the thing that frustrates her most. It makes her upset and makes her feel useless and untalented. This art project is really just Melinda’s life drawn on a piece of paper. Melinda’s tree is a symbol of her own thirst for normality, happiness, and approval and it really is displayed beautifully in the book.
Melinda created two pieces of good artwork throughout the year. One was the drawing at the end of the book which you talked about but the other was the demented turkey statue when she was upset and hurt with her family. She took that bitterness out on a linoleum block. This turkey statue was the first time that Ivy and Mr. Freeman notice Melinda and her art work. So yes I think the paper was more flexible and a better medium for her, the linoleum block was still good enough. It was perfect because she was still hiding her feelings (being stiff with them) but even so she was not completely hopeless. It was also the first time in the entire book that Melinda showed any kind of outward emotion. She did it in an indirect way by targeting just one bad weekend. She was not ready to look at the entire year, but she was able to manage opening up about one weekend and that is a start to something.
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