There are several key points to be made in comparing and contrasting the protagonists in Speak and Inexcusable. Perhaps the most fundamental difference can be ascribed to viewpoint, to the relative perspectives of the two protagonists and of the reader. Both stories deal with a highly controversial issue. The crime of rape, which many in our society seek to obscure and trivialize by reducing it to a matter of opinion, is met head-on and addressed compellingly in both books. These two stories raise questions not only about sexual predation, but about the nature of denial and self-delusion and the influence, both positive and negative, others wield on Keir and Melinda.
Enablers, and the sin of self-deception
Keir’s is a self-misleading, subjective perspective. A self-professed “good guy,” Keir reassures the reader throughout the story of his moral nature, telling us at one point that his sisters would vouch for his virtue. But as the story progresses, his veracity becomes more and more fragile as we come to realize that the details concerning his night with Gigi don’t quite add up. We have good reason to doubt Keir’s forthrightness after an exchange in which he denies having raped her. His explanation sounds suspiciously like a rationalization: “Good guys don’t do bad things. Good guys understand that no means no, and so I could not have done this because I understand, and I love Gigi Boudakian” (Lynch, 3). The reader hears it directly from Keir, but through the prism of Keir’s understanding, through his attempt at self-absolution. Keir’s subjective view of what happened is that it was consensual, not rape. Gigi, however, knows better.
Unfortunately for Keir, he is plagued by “enablers,” by people close to him who only reassure and validate his behavior. One suspects that unhealthy relationships with his father Ray, who behaves as his friend, and his sisters, will not permit him to grow. “You are still just a kid,” Fran reassures him. “But that’s all right. Sort of. That is who you are” (Lynch, 149). As damaging as these relationships are, worst of all is the fact that Keir is also the antagonist in Inexcusable, not only in relation to the other characters but to himself. He is his own worst enemy, having committed the terrible sin of self-deception. As such, he is also the victim of the blandishments of others, of those who call him “Killer” after his devastating football tackle, and of his family, who help him avoid the truth.
Renewal and reaffirmation
In Speak, Melinda’s plight is strictly an objective matter. We know beyond a doubt that she was raped by Andy, and we suffer along with her as the story progresses. Rachel and Heather prove unworthy and unfaithful friends, and as Melinda internalizes her shame and her inability to articulate her agony, we share her feelings of helplessness. Unable to communicate with her parents, with school officials and with friends, she withdraws into a cocoon of false security. We realize her inability to verbalize her pain is a hysterical reaction to her trauma. “Every time I try to talk to my parents or a teacher, I sputter or freeze…It’s like I have some kind of spastic laryngitis” (Anderson, 50-51). And whereas Keir becomes a pitiful figure, Melinda is a character with whom the reader can more readily identify, even admire.
There is no question as to whether or not Melinda was raped, but we’re left to wonder whether she will be able to resolve what happened to her and move on with her life. Fortunately, she finds solace and an invaluable psychological outlet through her art class and the support of Mr. Freeman, the art teacher. Mr. Freeman shows Melinda a way out of her misery, encouraging her to express her pain through art. He is the counterpoint to Keir’s family members, who (unintentionally) repress and stunt Keir’s growth. Mr. Freeman recognizes that Melinda is profoundly unable to express her suffering in words, is incapable of talking about it with her parents. He helps her find her “voice” and, thus, helps her emerge from her nightmare. In this way she experiences growth in a way that Keir never could. Melinda’s art class also proves redemptive in that it reunites Melinda with her estranged friend, Ivy. The two find renewal through the creative joy they share in Mr. Freeman’s class. Ivy proves faithful and reliable, a “perennial” in much the same way as the decorative vine with which she shares a name. Through the intervention of such friends, Melinda attains personal salvation in a way that Keir could not hope for.
Works Cited
Anderson, L.H. Speak. New York: Farrar Straus Giroux. 1999.
Lynch, C. Inexcusable. New York: Simon & Schuster Children’s Publishing. 2007.
