Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher follows the story of a teenage girl, Hannah Baker. Prominent themes center around the importance of reputation, the loss of innocence, and the responsibility, or lack thereof, in making choices. This paper will present key situations in the novel that correspond with these themes. In Thirteen Reasons Why, Asher presents the ways in which people can unknowingly impact the lives of others and encourages readers to consider how their actions can influence other people. This book’s unique format and method of relaying emotions provides a refreshing view of the dark subject matters that are often discussed. The story follows Clay Jensen through his discovery of himself, as well as others around him, while listening to
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During their freshman year, Alex created a list that ranked the girls in the entire class based on physical attributes, separated into “best” and “worst” columns. Hannah was surprised to find that she topped the list for “best butt,” before realizing the list was made in an attempt to get revenge on the girl whose name stood opposite of Hannah’s, in the “worst” column. Alex’s feeble attempt at a joke paved the way for the sequential events that Hannah describes, as shown in her reference to Alex. “Every single event documented here may never have happened had you, Alex, not written my name on that list. It’s that simple” (Asher 41). The succession of events in Hannah’s life can be traced back to the first few instances she described, including Justin’s rumors and Alex’s list. This shows how actions that initially seem insignificant can quickly develop irreversible consequences. This list, although it was started as a joke, ultimately caused harm to not only Hannah, but also to the people affected by her death. Therefore, Asher implies that consideration of others should be taken in all instances before acting on a scheme that could potentially cause harm to
During their freshman year, Alex created a list that ranked the girls in the entire class based on physical attributes, separated into “best” and “worst” columns. Hannah was surprised to find that she topped the list for “best butt,” before realizing the list was made in an attempt to get revenge on the girl whose name stood opposite of Hannah’s, in the “worst” column. Alex’s feeble attempt at a joke paved the way for the sequential events that Hannah describes, as shown in her reference to Alex. “Every single event documented here may never have happened had you, Alex, not written my name on that list. It’s that simple” (Asher 41). The succession of events in Hannah’s life can be traced back to the first few instances she described, including Justin’s rumors and Alex’s list. This shows how actions that initially seem insignificant can quickly develop irreversible consequences. This list, although it was started as a joke, ultimately caused harm to not only Hannah, but also to the people affected by her death. Therefore, Asher implies that consideration of others should be taken in all instances before acting on a scheme that could potentially cause harm to