After school, Clay Jensen went home
only to find a package that would change everything. At first, he was happy to
open it until he played the first cassette. 7 cassettes and 13 slides of Hannah
Baker's story, the girl who killed herself, of what led her to do what she did.
This is how
"Thirteen Reasons Why" begins.
The story then tells that
Clay listened to the side A of the first cassette. Hannah explained how it
worked, there is a list of 13 people she blames for her ultimate decision that
will get the tapes and a map that marks important places to go to so these
people can understand more of Hannah's tragedy. She has only two rules;
- Number one: The ones from the list have to listen to all the tapes.
- Number two: They must send it to the next person on the story.
She warns that the tapes will be released to everyone if
they don't pass them on.
Something no one would like.
She then names the
first person on her list, Justin Foley.
Justin was her first
kiss and the story of what happened had been twisted so much that different
kinds of rumors spread out through school. After the lies spread, Justin played
along and never stood up for her.
After Clay heard side
A he went to see Tony to borrow his Walkman but, because he didn’t know what to
say, he stole it.
When he got home
Clay played side B (now with the privacy of the Walkman) only to be relieved to
know that the next name was Alex Standall. The story was that he made a list
called WHO'S HOT/ WHO'S NOT that basically said that Hannah was somehow better
than Jessica Davis. Then, when she was at her favorite candy store,
"someone" she doesn't say the name just yet was inappropriate with
her because of the list and the manager kicked him out.
Cassette 2: side A
was interesting because the first girl appears, Jessica Davis. Hannah tells
that they met through a teacher and after a while they became friends with Alex
Standall and hanged out at Monet's until eventually they all stopped going.
After the list came out, Jessica was jealous because she thought Alex liked her
but instead it seemed like he liked Hannah. She invited Hannah to go to Monet's. After an intense discussion, Jessica scratched Hannah on the face. A
scar was left right above her eyebrow that Hannah described as the daily
"reminder" of what people thought of her.
Before Hannah committed
suicide, there were two ways that other people saw her;
Either she was a
bad person who used everyone (because of the rumors)
Or she was a
troubled girl that needed everyone's sympathy.
But after she
swallowed too many pills, people began to see her "TRUE COLORS" or at
least, the ones from the list.
"I wish I'd never seen that box or the seven tapes inside it. Hitting Play that first time was easy. A piece of cake. I had no idea what I was about to hear. But this time, it's one of the most frightening things I've ever done.
I turn the volume down and press Play.Hannah: number one: You listen. Number two: You pass it on. Hopefully neither one will be easy for you." (pg. 8, 9).
Through Clay, we
can see the effect Hannah has on others by purposely sending these tapes. Her
whole plan was that people felt either: terrified, angry, or scared.
Specifically she said; Hopefully neither one will be easy for you. This meant that she actually
wishes the worst to the people getting these tapes. Clay himself feels
frightened of the girl that he believed to be closest to perfection.
Later on, Hannah was desperate because during class everyone was looking at her and glancing at a paper. This was a list made by Alex Standall. Hannah felt criticized because she was on it...
" Jimmy’s
desk groaned again as he sat back, and I knew Ms. Strumm was coming, but I had
to find my name. I didn’t care why I was on the list. At the time, I don’t
think I even cared which side of the list I was on. There’s just something
about having everyone agree on something—something about you—that opens a cage
of butterflies in your stomach." (pg. 20)
I can relate this
to my personal life because I remember that there was a similar thing happening
to me and a friend. Everyone was talking and asking questions during class and
suddenly, a note fell on my desk. During the whole day everyone was talking
about it. Getting the folded piece of paper meant that I was finally going to
know what was happening. Similarly to Hannah, I didn't really care whether it
was something good or bad. I just needed to know what everyone thought about
me. Why they cared so much. When Hannah says "opens a cage of butterflies
in your stomach." I felt the same way.
This meant that the feeling of anxiety, rush, and nervousness all at the same time made me feel like there were a thousand butterflies flying in my belly; or as if there was a very deep hole that never ends in my stomach.
Up to now I think
that the story has a very strong plot that makes me fly through the pages and
finish them in no time. This idea that a dead girl can somehow stay alive made
me think that this is a book I will enjoy. Thirteen reasons why manages to
reveal and focus on two people's feelings, Clay and Hannah, while telling one
emotional story.
After reading
these chapters many questions rushed through my mind. The one I wonder most
about is;
Will Clay be
next? And if it isn't him, who could it be?
I trust that the
story will answer all my questions and hopefully, make me think of more.
Similarly, suicudal teens leave messages to tell their story.
On this case, Amanda Todd.
Works Cited
"Facebook Survey Scams Target Your Birthday #1." We Live Security RSS 20. N.p., 19 Jan. 2012. Web. 25 June 2015. <http://www.welivesecurity.com/2012/01/20/facebook-your-birthday-1-and-survey-scams/>.
"FULL VIDEO: Amanda Todd: Struggling, Bullying, Suicide, Self Harm, Fighting." YouTube. YouTube, n.d. Web. 25 June 2015. <https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IyHX7wMJBY0>.
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