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Part 2, Chapter 24
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
Principal Principal announces that Merryweather High will be represented by the hornets rather than the wombats, because the mascot costume will take money away from the prom budget. Melinda imagines opposing teams making flyswatters and cans of insecticide for halftime shows. She notes that she is “allergic to hornets. One sting and my skin bubbles in hives and my throat closes up.”
The school mascot saga continues as the animal changes yet again. In this moment of comedy, however, Melinda darkly notes that hornets make her throat close up, symbolizing how mute and silent she feels she must be within the world of high school.
Themes
