Jay Asher's Struggle In Thirteen Reasons Why

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Actions Speak Louder Than Words

Suicide is the third leading cause of death in today's youth. More adolescents resort to taking their own lives because of several reasons such as bullying and depression. It is important to realize the affect we have on the lives of others and realize that success is based on value. Our value comes from the way people see us as human beings and how we act towards them. Treat others the way you want to be treated. In the book, Thirteen Reasons Why, the author Jay Asher affectively argues the importance of the power we possess, the choices we make and how they affect us.

There is always an unintended consequence or repercussion to our actions. Jay Asher’s main point in the book is that everything we do has
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Clay Jensen, the narrator of the book and number nine on the tapes, didn’t realize Hannah’s struggles until it was too late. Listening to his tape, he realized that if he would’ve talked to her more or tried to spend time with her she would have second guessed her suicide. Clay says numerous times throughout the book that he regrets not trying harder to be in Hannah’s life. At the end of the novel, Clay understands the power he possesses when he tries talking to Skye Miller, his middle school crush who seems isolated and withdrawn. “But Skye’s walking down the same stretch of hall where I watched Hannah slip away two weeks ago”. Skye is Clay’s second chance at saving a life. Another character unaware of their ability is Tony. He is given the tapes by Hannah and helps fulfill her last wishes by making sure the tapes get passed to each person. Tony was unaware of the signs Hannah showed before her suicide. He feels guilty because he knew he could’ve did something to prevents that tragic event from happening. Asher effectively proves the importance of knowing how easy it is to show someone that they are …show more content…
He contemplated having Hannah end up in the hospital for attempted suicide but decided against it. He wanted to show his readers that you can’t take back what you do or say to a person. You must live with the effect your decisions caused. In Thirteen Reasons Why, Jessica Davis became unconsciously drunk during a party and was in no shape or form to give consent to sex. Both Justin and Hannah allowed Bryce Walker to rape Jessica. Hannah blames herself for allowing it to happen letting the guilt eat her alive. “It’s our fault” Hannah says. One of the main reasons Hannah commits suicide is because she can’t live with the decisions she’s made in the last weeks of her life. Her choices had a negative affect and Jay Asher demonstrates just how negative a person can react to horrible choices. We do not get to see how the decision affected Justin and Jessica, but we can imagine it took a toll on both of their lives now that the secret it

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