Writing About Writing

In a section titled "Peeled and Cored", Melinda finds herself in the biology room with her lab partner David, about to disect an apple. To me, this entire section sums up the book. I've read the book before, so I know how it's going to end; however, it's not only foreshadowing, but a metaphor into her character. The fact that the biology class starts out with talking about reproduction with apple trees makes me think that it's forshadowing. The tree is just such a strong piece in the book, and Melinda is connected to it so many times, through this class and through her art class. The fact that the boys take sex as a joke to be laughed at makes a good statement of what may reveal itself.

The fact that the apple reminds her of when she was little, sitting in apple trees, in an orchard gives a little background information along with insight that maybe she is connected to this apple. It pulls her back to her childhood, when everything was healthy in her parents' relationship. And when she was happy, sitting in trees with the sunshine on her hair, and the bees buzzing around her head without want to sting her. It's a beautiful image disrupted by the disapproval she gets from her lab partner when she's told to cut it correctly. The image is popped with the blade of her disecting knife. And then the real metaphor begins with the image of the germinated apple seed inside the apple. It is an image of life, and hope. As Melinda puts it, " An apple tree growing from an apple seed growing in an apple". That germinated seed is a symbol for Melinda, like the tree. There is hope somewhere inside of her, and there is something that is growing, but technically the outer part is dead, or will be dead soon. Melinda isn't dead completely on the inside. She still strives for something good to come of her life. She still wants to get through life, just as the seed wants to see life. It's always a struggle. It is and it always will be. That seed will grow, just like Melinda is learning to grow through the pain and suffering. She may look dead on the outside, but she's still alive on the inside.