Rachel Bruin Character Analysis in Speak

Although she and Melinda used to be best friends, Rachel now hates Melinda, believing (like the other students at their high school) that Melinda called the police on a summer party in order to get others in trouble, when really she was attempting to report her own rape. A pretentious social climber, Rachel calls herself Rachelle for much of the book, and hangs out with foreign exchange students whom she perceives as cool. She eventually begins dating Andy Evans, Melinda’s rapist, at which point Melinda finally tells her former friend about the rape. Although she does not believe the story at first, Rachel eventually breaks up with Andy, an act that incites him to attempt to rape Melinda a second time. At the end of the novel, Rachel has reached out to Melinda, but it is unclear whether the two will become friends again.

Rachel Bruin Quotes in Speak

The Speak quotes below are all either spoken by Rachel Bruin or refer to Rachel Bruin. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

).

I rock, thumping my head against the cinder-block wall. A half-forgotten holiday has unveiled every knife that sticks inside me, every cut. No Rachel, no Heather, not even a silly, geeky boy who would like the inside girl I think I am.

Related Characters: Melinda Sordino (speaker), Heather, Rachel Bruin, David Petrakis

Related Symbols: Melinda’s Closet, Blood

Page Number and Citation: 110

Explanation and Analysis:

I stumble from thornbush to thornbush— my mother and father who hate each other, Rachel who hates me, a school that gags on me like I’m a hairball. And Heather.
I just need to hang on long enough for my new skin to graft. Mr. Freeman thinks I need to find my feelings. How can I not find them? They are chewing me alive like an infestation of thoughts, shame, mistakes.

Related Characters: Melinda Sordino (speaker), Melinda’s mother, Melinda’s father, Heather, Mr. Freeman, Rachel Bruin

Related Symbols: Trees, Seeds, Plants, and Forests

Page Number and Citation: 125

Explanation and Analysis:

His lips move poison and she smiles and then she kisses him wet. Not a Girl Scout kiss. He gives her the notebook. His lips move. Lava spills out my ears. She is not any part of a pretend Rachelle-chick. I can only see third-grade Rachel who liked barbecue potato chips and who braided pink embroidery thread into my hair that I wore for months until my mom made me cut it out. I rest my forehead against the prickly stucco.

Related Characters: Melinda Sordino (speaker), Andy Evans, Rachel Bruin

Related Symbols: Lips

Page Number and Citation: 150

Explanation and Analysis:

Rachel Bruin Quotes in Speak

The Speak quotes below are all either spoken by Rachel Bruin or refer to Rachel Bruin. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:

).

I rock, thumping my head against the cinder-block wall. A half-forgotten holiday has unveiled every knife that sticks inside me, every cut. No Rachel, no Heather, not even a silly, geeky boy who would like the inside girl I think I am.

Related Characters: Melinda Sordino (speaker), Heather, Rachel Bruin, David Petrakis

Related Symbols: Melinda’s Closet, Blood

Page Number and Citation: 110

Explanation and Analysis:

I stumble from thornbush to thornbush— my mother and father who hate each other, Rachel who hates me, a school that gags on me like I’m a hairball. And Heather.
I just need to hang on long enough for my new skin to graft. Mr. Freeman thinks I need to find my feelings. How can I not find them? They are chewing me alive like an infestation of thoughts, shame, mistakes.

Related Characters: Melinda Sordino (speaker), Melinda’s mother, Melinda’s father, Heather, Mr. Freeman, Rachel Bruin

Related Symbols: Trees, Seeds, Plants, and Forests

Page Number and Citation: 125

Explanation and Analysis:

His lips move poison and she smiles and then she kisses him wet. Not a Girl Scout kiss. He gives her the notebook. His lips move. Lava spills out my ears. She is not any part of a pretend Rachelle-chick. I can only see third-grade Rachel who liked barbecue potato chips and who braided pink embroidery thread into my hair that I wore for months until my mom made me cut it out. I rest my forehead against the prickly stucco.

Related Characters: Melinda Sordino (speaker), Andy Evans, Rachel Bruin

Related Symbols: Lips

Page Number and Citation: 150

Explanation and Analysis: