Out of My Mind

For Melody, the wheelchair symbolizes both freedom and entrapment. Her wheelchair limits how and where she can go and catches the attention of others around her in a less than positive way. The electric wheelchair that Melody receives gives her more mobility, which opens more doors for her, yet it confines her at the same time.

Melody’s computer, which she names “Elvira” after a favorite song, is groundbreaking in that it allows her to pre-program words and sentences, then push a button so that the computer reads the thought out loud. This computer symbolizes freedom of expression for Melody, something she had not had before.

Ollie the goldfish, won by Melody’s dad at a carnival, symbolizes a microcosm of Melody’s life. Like Melody, Ollie cannot express himself and is forced to remain in his small fishbowl, trapped. Melody feels an affinity with the fish because she understands what it’s like to not be able to speak and to be restricted in movement and space. When Ollie jumps out of his bowl, Melody tries in vain to save him. She notes that he might not have been able to handle life anymore, a sentiment she often shares.