Thirteen Reasons Why: The Death Of Hannah Baker

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“I hope you're ready, because I'm about to tell you the story of my life. More specifically, why my life ended. And if you're listening to these tapes, you're one of the reasons why.” (Asher 7) High school student Hannah Baker has committed suicide. But before doing so, she's recorded a suicide note with thirteen stories about why she has made that decision. Clay Jensen returns home from school one afternoon to find a cardboard box addressed to him, filled with these seven tapes. Thirteen Reasons Why by Jay Asher embarks on a journey with Clay Jensen through all thirteen reasons of Hannah Baker’s death. Asher blends Hannah Baker's audio-taped explanation for her suicide with Clay Jensen's reactions to it. Both stories are told in the first…show more content…
Edgar Allan Poe and William Faulkner are famous for their use of unreliable narrators in their books, “Tell-Tale Heart” (Poe 1853) and The Sound and the Fury (Faulkner 1929). Asher uses undependable narrators to leave the story and the truth up to you, allowing you to make your own assumptions; and not just one, but two. “An icy sweat breaks across my forehead. Mr. Porter? Does he have something to do with this?” (Asher 55) On Hannah’s second cassette tape, Hannah and Clay’s old teacher, Mr. Porter, is mentioned briefly. Clay, being oblivious to almost everything that led Hannah to her demise, begins to seriously question what Mr. Porter may or may not have done, and if it had to do with Hannah’s death. Later in the story, you find out what happens with Mr. Porter, but Clay was blind of it for most of the novel. “But your story, Tyler… it’s kind of creepy. … A Peeping Tom? Tyler? I never knew.” (Asher 75) This quote also displays the blind narration of Hannah Baker. While she accuses Tyler of being a Peeping Tom, she has no way to prove it, and, due to her limited view, she never finds out. Another role that her uncertainty may play is through her…show more content…
This book has made such an impact in the teenage audience; an anti-bullying campaign is currently going on with the motivation given from this novel. It has given thousands of teen’s reason to feel like they matter. This novel has touched millions and is making a positive wave around America. With a touching novel like this, Asher did a beautiful job creating a relationship between the two narrators. Hannah's narration is sentimental and poignant, and Clay's reaction to hearing the tapes mimics the reader’s reaction to reading the book: You might want to stop hearing Hannah's voice, but it's difficult not to keep going to find out all the indignities she has experienced that led to her suicide. This book as a whole causes you view the world differently and makes you think about what you say before you say it, because you never know who you might impact with your
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