Throughout Shout, Anderson interrogates the role of silence versus speaking both in her own story and for survivors of sexual violence in the United States. For many survivors of sexual assault, including Anderson, speaking out about what happened to them can feel terrifying if not impossible because others may blame the victim for what happened. Many survivors don’t ever tell the truth about what was done to them, and therefore justice cannot be served.

Anderson’s protagonist in Speak, Melinda, is unable to speak after she is raped at a high school party. This plot detail is in part based off of Anderson’s memories and her inability to tell her parents what was wrong, but it also comes from Anderson’s desire to play the “interpreter” for her protagonist. The character of Melinda resonates with Anderson and her readers because many of them have experienced, or know someone who has experienced, a feeling of shame, rage, and sadness that leaves them speechless.

Anderson characterizes her silence: “I didn’t speak up / when that boy raped me, instead I scalded / myself in the shower and turned / me into the ghost of the girl” (56). Rather than tell someone what happened to her, she instead punishes herself using scalding hot

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