A Quiet Storm

Too often, we take people for granted; until it’s too late, until they’re gone and the only thing we’re left with is the shared memories and the shadows of their presence. In Thirteen Reasons Why, Jay Asher highlights the impermanence of human life through the suicide of Hannah Baker. The book is centred around pre-recorded tapes that tell the story of a girl who gave up on herself; more specifically, the thirteen reasons, the thirteen people, that caused her death. Like the proverbial butterfly that flaps its wings on one continent and causes a hurricane on another, our decisions, however small, inevitably lead to unpredictable results. Even though Asher effectively illustrates this concept, termed the butterfly effect, through the characters’ actions, or lack thereof, he also understates the reality of suicide.

Similar to how the fall of a single domino collapses its entire train, so too will our actions inadvertently lead to a chain of repercussions. As Asher puts it, “Everything…affects everything” (201). Justin’s seemingly insignificant rumor about a kiss “started a reputation [others] believed in and reacted to,” and it would go on to destroy Hannah’s life, undermining her privacy, security, and dignity. Essentially, the rumor created a snowball effect that eventually led to her suicide. With this, Asher puts into perspective just how little control we have in this unpredictable world, and how, in the end, no one can foresee what will happen in the wake of their decisions.

However, what was more interesting for me was the realization that the butterfly effect not only manifests in the actions we take, but also the ones that we don’t. People saw the signs of Hannah contemplating the decision of taking her own life, and still, they did nothing. Clay Jensen, for example, witnessed Hannah’s struggles, yet he was just another bystander who watched her slip away (180). Though he eventually tried helping, she pushed him away, so he stopped, and he walked out the door (216). Perhaps if Clay chose to stay, Hannah would still be alive. Walking away, that leaves a mark too. This begs the question, do we try or do we not? When we do try and we’re pushed away, do we give up, or do we try harder?

As effectively as Asher portrays the butterfly effect through Hannah’s story, what I could not help noticing is his oversimplification of the process that one undergoes before committing suicide. Even though there was a noble attempt to destigmatize suicide through the book, I think he characterizes Hannah in a way that overly emphasizes revenge. He fails to reflect on Hannah the reality of suicidal people, who are usually driven to end their own life due to feelings of emptiness, insecurity, despair as well as a lack of control. The trauma causes them to struggle with excessive amounts of self-blame, self-doubt, and self-hatred, all of which Hannah barely displayed. In fact, it was a rare phenomenon within the book that Hannah expresses her pain at all. It almost seems as though Hannah’s arrival at her final conclusion was too abrupt and impulsive, and thus it was hard for me to empathize deeply with her, so even though Asher destigmatizes suicide, he potentially fuels a misunderstanding of it.

Ultimately, Thirteen Reasons Why puts into perspective just how little control we have in life, for in every second, every decision that we make and don’t make leads to consequences that you and I will never foresee. Even though the overarching topic of the book – suicide – is oversimplified, it still inspires in us a desire to understand people with suicidal thoughts more thoroughly. From the book, it may seem that suicidal people are weak, for they do not even have the strength to withstand a mental battle, but in reality, what they are fighting is not a battle, it is a war – a war that suffocates the last embers of happiness and the final flames of hope. So for everyone out there who feels like the world is getting too dark, that the days are getting too long, and that it’s almost time to give up, I hope you know: you are not alone in this war.