Speak- conflict/resolution- Facing your Fears

In Speak, the main character Melinda faces a problem.  In the summer before her freshman year she goes to a high school party. Because of the events that happened at the party, she becomes a social outcast and recedes in to a shell.  The main conflict in this book is Melinda not being able to face what has happened to her, and the results of it.  One example of this is when she builds her closet.  She hides out in an old janitor's closet away from anyone else. I think that she does this because she doesn't want to face her classmates because it surfaces her worst memories.  Another example is when she is dissecting a frog in science class.  If she had faced her problems, she wouldn't have let the frog become an analogy to her life.  She could have just thoughtlessly dissected the frog and moved on with her life like the rest of the class, but she let her fear control her.  Melinda has to battle many different types of problems throughout the book, but the main issue is person vs. self.  She is battling her self with her pent up fear and other emotions, because she can't get over what happened.  Even though she feels isolated and alone, she doesn't do anything about it.  She just sits there and let's it happen.  Melinda can't fix her problems until she learns to face her fears.  

Luckily Melinda finally stands up to herself by the end of the book.  Melinda gets over her fear to stand up for herself.  In the climax of the novel, when He tries to hurt her again, Melinda finally gets a back bone and speaks up.  Melinda defends herself and overcomes her biggest fear.  She faced her problems and therefore was able to resolve them and find help.  One way to see that this is the main conflict is to look at what would've happened if she hadn't done this.  Melinda would have just gotten even more afraid and isolated herself even more.  She would have become worse and worse, and would've come to a point where she couldn't get over what happened.  It would have eventually consumed her.  All of her thoughts and all of her time would've been spent on those terrifying moments.  If she hadn't finally faced what happened, she wouldn't have been able to grow and move past those moments and on to the rest of her life.  Because Melinda faced her problems, she created a chance to restore her life.