96 pages • 3-hour read
Out of My Mind
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Chapters 10-12Chapter Summaries & Analyses
Chapter 10 Summary
Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of bullying and ableism.
Although she cannot speak, Melody and her mother have worked out a communication system that, over time, has become more finely developed and strengthened. Melody notices that “Mom and I can sometimes talk without words” (84), as her mother is more and more adept at knowing what Melody is pointing at or how she is feeling on a particular day. The two develop a rapport where they can tease each other and laugh at jokes. These times fill Melody with resolve, and she wishes “I could tell her I loved her” (85).
Over time, Melody learns a lot about what her mother is thinking and feeling, too. Her mother gets her hooked on Garfield comic strips. The cat intrigues Melody because he cannot talk, yet his thoughts are scripted inside bubbled circles over his head. Melody wishes that she could have someone do that for her, too.
While communication with her mother is much better, Melody has a harder time getting her father to understand what she is saying. She recalls one day where she wanted a Big Mac and a milkshake. Melody uses her communication board to try to tell her father what she wants to eat, but he isn’t able to clarify what she wants. Seeing a tantrum coming on, her father apologizes for not knowing what she is asking for, and Melody settles down and eats the noodles he cooks for her.
A few weeks later, as her father drives her past a McDonald’s, Melody begins screeching for his attention until he realizes she wants a Big Mac and a shake. Even though her father never realizes this is the meal she was asking for weeks earlier, she appreciates his efforts while she enjoys her burger.
Chapter 11 Summary
For Melody, fifth grade brings positive changes to her life. She receives an electric wheelchair that allows her to move about where and when she wants to, and with the help of the portable ramps her father gets for the family SUV, she has the freedom to go places with more ease. This access is especially important when her school introduces inclusion classes that integrate students with disabilities into the mainstream classes.
The new teacher, Mrs. Shannon, whose Southern drawl entertains Melody, enthusiastically encourages the children to embrace the inclusion opportunities presented to them. The first class they attend is Mrs. Lovelace’s music class, where they are placed in the back of the room. Nervous about the changes, some of Melody’s classmates start yelling and crying, prompting the class’s students to stare or laugh. Two girls, in particular, mock the special needs students, and the teacher punishes them by taking away their seats and telling them to stand for the rest of the class. Melody likes Mrs. Lovelace’s response to the girls’ rudeness, and she thinks that this teacher is one “who’d take the time to figure me out” (96).
Eventually, Mrs. Lovelace has students without disabilities partner with students with disabilities, and Melody is matched with a girl named Rose, who voluntarily offers to be with Melody. Rose quickly learns to communicate with Melody using the communication board, and Melody appreciates making a friend, someone who “seemed to understand” (97). At one point, Rose and Melody share a laugh about their dislike of jazz music, and the teacher reprimands them for talking. Melody is elated as “Never in my life have I had a teacher tell me to be quiet because I was talking to somebody in class!” (100).
Chapter 12 Summary
With the success of the inclusion program, Melody can switch classrooms for classes for the first time and operate her electric wheelchair through the hallways. More kids interact with her, some even walking with her to class. Despite these gains, Melody is still trapped in the classroom, knowing answers but being unable to share them. When she can raise her hand in a slight motion, it’s often not seen by teachers, and she couldn’t give the answer to the question anyway.
Positive educational changes continue to occur for Melody. She attends the parent conference with Mrs. Shannon, who states that Melody is brilliant and will be the “star in this program” (103). Additionally, Melody receives news that she will have a personal aide, or mobility assistant, for the rest of the school year. The next day, she meets Catherine, a college student, and because Catherine talks to Melody like anyone else, they hit it off right away.
Catherine helps Melody move from class to class, assists her with lunch, reads Melody’s answers and requests from the communication board, and orders the books Melody reads. Inspired by the enthusiasm of Miss Gordon, the language arts teacher, Melody becomes more engaged in vocabulary study and reading. Eventually, Melody is able to take tests with the other students, and she proudly passes them all without any help from Catherine. She is still subjected to complaints of cheating and unfairness from the two girls, Molly and Claire, who mock the kids with disabilities.
Melody’s friendship with Rose continues to blossom, with Rose approaching her to ask how she did on a history test, and Melody using her board to tell Rose that the shirt she is wearing is cool.
Chapters 10-12 Analysis
These chapters focus on the methods of communication in Melody’s life that improve and those that remain a source of difficulty and strain. Melody and her mother have learned to “talk” to each other without words and to understand how each other are feeling—a distinct change from the first chapter, where Melody felt more connection with her father. Melody has not achieved that same level of understanding with her father, but despite how upset this makes her, she recognizes that her father is trying his best.
The McDonald’s story is another anecdote that conveys why Melody is more frustrated with her inability to speak than her inability to walk. Melody struggles with a simple message, and she has to settle for something else. It also bothers Melody that her parents are never able to gain clarification after these incidents—her mother will never know that she didn’t dump out the goldfish, and her father will never know that she wanted a Big Mac on the day that he fed her noodles. While it doesn’t seem important on the surface, all of these incidents add up to make Melody feel that she isn’t understood on a basic level.
Melody’s experiences with the inclusion program are two-fold. She meets a new friend in Rose, but she witnesses bullying from Claire and Molly, who will become Melody’s tormentors later in the novel. That Melody is going to be “the star” of the program suggests that others will finally be able to see Melody for her true self. Melody’s electronic wheelchair assists in this progress, as she’s now more mobile than she’s ever been before. These improvements help Melody navigate outside of her previous restrictions without harming herself—an alternative to jumping out of her “fishbowl” and dying, she’s using technology and assistance to jump out and thrive.
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