Symbolism, Imagery, Allegory
When the book begins, Victor tells the reader that he'll be telling his story using a typewriter rather than through speech:
Some days if I've gotten stuck on a bunch of words at school I'll come home and put a piece of notebook paper in the typewriter that someone from my father's office brought to our house a long time ago and forgot to take. The same one I'm typing these words on now. I peck out the words that gave me the most trouble for that day. (1.7)
The typewriter represents Victor's true voice—the one unsullied by his stuttering. With a typewriter, he doesn't have to worry about how he sounds or whether or not he's going to stumble over different words. He has control over exactly what he says and how people are going to perceive his voice and his message. The typewriter comes up again when Victor wants to share his poem with Mr. Spiro. Instead of simply reciting it, he types it out first:
Mr. Spiro went into another room and came back with a gray case. He opened the snaps on each side and pulled out a typewriter. It was smaller than the one in my room. He put it on a table and brought the table over to where I was sitting. He gave me a clean sheet of white paper and I started typing. (8.163)
Through the typewriter, Victor finds a way to communicate without the fear of being misunderstood or made fun of. He discovers his true voice—one that doesn't stutter—and in doing so, comes to make peace with the voice that comes from his mouth, too. The typewriter enables Victor to step into the role of storyteller and communicator, and as he embraces this identity, he summons the bravery to speak aloud without fear.