The main reason why Hannah Baker decided to commit suicide is the gossip and reputation her peers spread about her. With experience of being a victim of bullying and gossip, Hannah looked forward to starting over in Crestmont. Sadly, high school did not turn out as well as Hannah hoped. The reputation and gossip started early in the school year in Hannah Baker’s new school. Justin Foley embellished the story of the first kiss Hannah had with Justin. The embellishment of Hannah’s kiss with Justin was the first of thirteen reasons why she committed suicide. Through years of gossip being spread about Hannah, affecting her reputation, she lost her interest and trust in the boys of Crestmont.  In turn, the interactions with the boys got worse. The gossip and its effects on her reputation got to the point where Hannah lost all of her self-confidence, and decided the best solution for her was to take her own life.

Therefore, an obvious theme which we could discuss about Thirteen Reasons Why could be, “Gossip and its effects on reputation are factors that can strongly influence a person’s decision to commit suicide.”

Thirteen Reasons Why is a novel written by Jay Asher. The author was born in Arcadia in California on September 30, 1975. Jay is a writer of contemporary novels for teens. He is best known for writing Thirteen Reasons Why. The author is married to Joan Marie. Together they have a son named Isaiah Nathan.

Besides working as a writer, Asher has worked in a shoe store, libraries, and bookstores. Asher admits that his work experiences have affected some aspects of his writing. The setting in Thirteen Reasons Why is inspired by his own adolescence. For example, Crestmont, the town the action is set in, is a composite of the two cities he was growing up in.

The high school student’s suicide is inspired by a one of Jay’s own experiences. A close relative of Asher attempted suicide when she was at the same age as Hannah. Luckily, she survived the attempt, but this experience made him want to speak openly about suicide. The idea of Clay and the cassettes came from a visit on an audio-tour in Las Vegas.

Sources: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jay_Asher

Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher

I have found several conflicts in Thirteen Reasons Why. Man vs. Himself, and Man vs. Mind are two examples. The main conflict in the book is Man vs. Society. This is as an external conflict. The more Clay Jensen listens to the tapes, the more he gets obsessed with the truth behind her death. He starts to extremely dislike the people on the tapes who have been a part of Hannah’s suicide. That makes his attitude change a lot. Throughout the story he gets more aggressive and introverted.

The story is set in a town called Crestmont. It is a small town in America. The book has not said what state the actions take place in yet. The actions take place in many locations in the small town. Many of them in school. Clay has a map marked with stars which shows him where Hannah’s situations took place. While he is listening to the suicide tapes, he goes to the spots marked on the map. Examples of locations are the café, her friend’s houses and the school. The actions are based on the norms of modern society.

The narration of the story switches between Clay Jensen and Hannah Baker. The whole story is told in the first-person. Clay Jensen narrates in real time where he is describing emotions, thoughts and happenings around him while listening to the cassettes. Hannah’s narration is a prerecorded summary of why she committed suicide.  

Here is an example from the book:

This was not a spur-of-the-moment decision. Do not take me for granted… again.

No. There’s no way she could think that.

You are being watched.

My stomach squeezes in on itself, ready to make me throw up if I let it. (…)

Since the author is writing in the first-person, I feel close to the main characters. That makes it easier for me to understand the situations the characters are experiencing. The author made a good decision writing in the first person.

Clay Jensen is the protagonist in the book. Clay Jensen, also called “helmet” by Hannah Baker, is a junior at high school. He was a classmate and friend of “the dead girl” Hannah. He is, besides Hannah, the narrator of the story. As I mentioned in my last post, he received thirteen suicide tapes recorded by Hannah. As he is listening to the tapes, he describes his emotions and thoughts. I haven’t got many impressions of his personality yet, but he seems like a socially awkward person, but caring and intelligent.
I have never experienced suicide, so I don’t identify with Clay. I think the book is interesting to read. I like that the story goes into details, it makes me feel like I’m inside Clay’s head.

Hey! Welcome to my first post on this website. On this blog, I will post updates about the book called Thirteen Reasons Why. Thirteen Reasons Why is a novel about suicide, written by Jay Asher. I chose to read this book because of two reasons. Firstly, I don’t personally like to read that much. I am reading this book and is making this blog because of an assignment I got from my english teacher. Thirteen Reasons Why was one of the books that my school offered me to borrow. Secondly, Thirteen Reasons Why is a novel I’ve heard a lot about from friends and in the media. Readers’ thoughts about the theme the book brings to light are varied.

Regardless of whether they like the content in the book, they have agreed that the themes are deep, emotional and well portrayed. These are qualities a book needs to get me hooked. I think this book will be interesting to read. I am looking forward to sharing my experiences of this book on this blog. I think this project will go well. I hope you have a nice day, and that you will keep on following my journey through this blog. 🙂