Closet Symbolism in Speak

If you look at a lot of classic books, many brilliant authors have put symbolism in their pieces. When a person proposes to his/her loved one, they usually get down on one knee and present a ring. The circle represents the never ending circle of trust that the couple should have for the rest of their lives. That is considered symbolism. In the jaw-dropping book Speak  the main character, Melinda, has symbolism smacking her in the face left and right.
          There is one connected web of symbolism that really inspired me, and that is the iconic deserted and dusty janitor's closet that she fixes up into an intermediate janitor's closet. She puts up posters and art pieces to try to make it perfect, but it never will be, because it's always going to be a just a janitor's closet. It's kind of like a metaphor for her life. She is trying to hide the fact that she got raped. She is disguising herself to make it look like high school got the best of her and she just feels lonely because everyone hates her, when it's mostly because she was sexually assaulted. If you look at the connection between  Melinda and Andy Evans, it's kind of ironic that his final assault attempt was in her sacred closet. It's a shame that it was in that closet, too. It ruined her chances of ever wanting to have that little hiding place to herself. That closet nearly kept her alive in the crazy world of high school. I guarantee that in the future, whenever she walks past the closet she will cringe or have a flashback, because that is a sensitive spot for her. Poor Melinda just wanted to go through high school normally, but that didn't happen. Then she gets a pad of late passes and a secret hiding spot --which she probably earned--and by the end of the year it was ruined by the same guy who ruined her high school life.
           Symbolism is everywhere. Especially in Speak. Although it's a shame that the closet--along with all of its potential-- was ruined, and always will be, Melinda will still have the short memories of having a sanctuary, a safe place that helped her heal.