Thirteen Reasons Why

“Because it may seem like a small role now, but it matters. In the end, everything matters.”

Asher comments that this message is what he most wants readers to take away from Hannah’s story: to recognize how deeply one’s actions, however innocuous to them, affect others. This quote epitomizes the novel’s theme that every action counts.

“New town. New school. And this time, I was going to be in control of how people saw me. After all, how often do we get a second chance?”

The use of anaphora with the word “new” makes this the pivotal concept in this passage: Hannah initially views Crestmont as a fresh start from past rumors. She optimistically wants others to see her true self.

“And sometimes, a rumor based on a kiss has a snowball effect. A rumor, based on a kiss, is just the beginning.”

Justin’s small deception damages Hannah’s reputation. Hannah believes this incident is when she starts losing control of her life. This quote illustrates the novel’s theme of the power of rumors to affect reputation. The text of “a rumor based on a kiss” is repeated a second time with a comma between “rumor” and “based,” typographically representing changes set in motion by something small.

“It’s about the repercussions of what you did. More specifically, it’s about the repercussions to me.”

Putting Hannah on the “hot” side of his list is a minor thing to Alex, but it has major consequences for Hannah. It sexually objectifies her, allowing boys to see her as a body part, rather than a unique individual. Hannah counters this view of her by changing her focus from what “you did” to “me.”

“I wanted to push Stop on the Walkman and rewind their whole conversation. To rewind into the past and warn them. Or prevent them from even meeting. But I can’t. You can’t rewrite the past.”

The temporal layers of Hannah and Clay’s narratives mean that Clay experiences Hannah’s story as if it were happening in real time. He reacts with emotion and urgency, but understands that he is powerless to change anything that has happened. The realization that one cannot alter the past informs the novel’s theme of death, and again emphasizes the importance of one’s every action.

“You can hear rumors…but you can’t know them.”

Hannah tries to explain that the rumors about her are false, and that they cannot be proven—or to Hannah’s distress, disproven. The words “hear” and “know” are presented in a false relation—the word “hear” is not contrasted with the word “see,” for example—which highlights the complexity and deceptive nature of the rumors in the novel.

“Everyone needs an olly-olly-oxen-free.”

This inscription in the scribble book at Monet’s Café reveals that Hannah, Alex, and Jessica were once true friends and confidantes who trusted and felt safe communicating with each other. Their inscription is a poignant reminder that everyone needs someone to listen to and support them. The phrase—one of many references to childhood games in the novel—has a dual function of insinuating truce for the players of a game or announcing that a game is over. While Hannah uses it to mean the former, the latter function also reflects Hannah’s death by suicide.

“I started rebuilding my guard, brick by brick.”

When Hannah realizes that the boy at the party is only interested in her because of rumors, Hannah metaphorically builds a wall around herself, closing off her trust. This image reflects the detrimental effect of false rumors and shows Hannah’s attempts to connect herself to something tangible in the face of the intangible damage of rumors.

“And at some point, the struggle becomes too much—too tiring—and you consider letting go. Allowing tragedy…or whatever…to happen.”

She feels the desire to give up. This quote reflects Hannah’s mental illness, evident in her growing sense of hopelessness. Her use of the word “tragedy” links this passage to her allusions to Romeo and Juliet, emphasizing the idea that outside narratives are projected onto Hannah.

“Right then, in that office, with the realization that no one knew the truth about my life, my thoughts about the world were shaken.”

Hannah knows that appearances are often false, and she desperately wants people to see her for who she is, not what they think they know about her. This feeling of being disconnected and unknown reveals Hannah’s hopelessness. Her insistent temporal maker, “[r]ight then,” is part of what makes Clay, listening to the tape, feel as though he can change these events in the present.

“I hate what you did, Hannah.”

Clay experiences a multitude of emotions including anger as he listens to Hannah’s story. Clay’s anger is a part of grieving for his loss. Notably, he does not say “I hate you, Hannah,” a point through which Asher highlights the fact that Hannah’s suicide does not define her.

“Looking back, I stopped writing in my notebook when I stopped wanting to know myself anymore.”

Hannah’s thoughts and feelings about herself are increasingly negative. While introspection allows her to express herself in poetry, it begins to cause her discomfort and disappointment. Hannah adds that she cannot “turn off the noise” in her head (178), suggesting that her thoughts are overwhelming, and hints at her suicide.

“And that’s why, right at this moment, I feel so much hate. Toward myself. I deserve to be on this list. Because if I hadn’t been so afraid of everyone else, I might have told Hannah that someone cared. And Hannah might still be alive.”

Clay’s volatile feelings of anger and blame extend to himself. Clay experiences emotions common to suicide loss survivors. He guiltily believes he could have saved Hannah’s life, but also recognizes that he cannot change the past. Like Hannah, Clay insistently refers to the present “moment,” which this time highlights the fact that Hannah’s part in it is only a narrative allusion.

“[K]now me / don’t just see me with your eyes / Take away / this mask of flesh and bone and / see me / for my soul / alone.”

Ryan correctly notes that Hannah’s poem is “a letter to [herself]” (188). Her poem is a cry for acknowledgment and acceptance, from others, and from herself. In contrast to her free verse elegy on the tapes, Hannah’s poem is tightly structured, reflecting the change in her mental state from writing the poem to making the tapes.

“When you mess with one part of a person’s life, you’re messing with their entire life. Everything…affects everything.”

Hannah asserts the bullying and rumors about her extend far beyond—mentally and emotionally—a single point in time or location. This quote illustrates the novel’s central theme that every action has far-reaching consequences. The idea that “[e]verything…affects everything” is a platitude that nonetheless feels profound to Hannah given the complexities of the narrative that she has crafted.

“All you really have…is now.”

Though Hannah cannot return to times she thought were better, she has a hopeless attitude toward the present and future. This quotation refers to the temporality in the novel that makes those in the present live, painfully, alongside the past.

“And I couldn’t stand all the emotions anymore. I wanted the world to stop…to end.”

Bryce’s rape of Jessica brings Hannah to a crisis point, and she articulates her

desire for death. This narrative stopping point and disruption is reflected in Bryce’s characterization: He is not even given the tapes as he would end the chain and not pass them on. Hannah’s mental illness is evident in her feelings that her actions no longer matter. She does not help Jessica because it feels like an impossible task.

“And you have no idea how much I wish I didn’t ruin that girl’s life. But I did. At the very least, I helped. And so did you.”

Hannah blames herself and Justin for not helping Jessica: Their inaction allowed Bryce to rape her. Asher shows again the importance that actions, and the refusal to act, have on people’s lives.

“We’re all to blame…At least a little.”

Tony, as one of the sage characters in the novel, takes on responsibility alongside Clay without being explicitly told to do so. He feels guilty for not recognizing warning signs indicating that Hannah was thinking of suicide. In hindsight, Hannah’s intent was clear to both Tony and Clay. Tony’s guilt, like Clay’s, cannot change the past.

“Just relax…Everything will be okay.”

Bryce gives the same sexist, hollow reassurance to Hannah in the hot tub as he does in the liquor store. His comment reveals his lack of empathy for Hannah and that he views her only as a body to fulfill his desires. His point about what “will be” in the future disregards the present crisis for Hannah.

“I let my reputation become me.”

By having sex with Bryce, Hannah truly gives up on life. Hannah stops caring about herself, justifying her decision to take her life. Her reputation is the active thing which agency in this sentence: she does not “become” her reputation, rather it “become[s]” her.

“I think I’ve made myself very clear; but no one’s stepping forward to stop me.”

Hannah’s statement reveals her feelings of isolation, insecurity, and depression. Her belief that she made her intentions clear, shows instead Hannah’s lack of clarity of thought. Her narration of her observations makes it feel as though it is happening in the present—“no one’s stepping forward”—which makes Clay’s powerlessness all the more painful.

“‘I’m sorry.’ Once again, those were the words. And now, anytime someone says I’m sorry I’m going to think of her. But some of us won’t be willing to say those words back. Some of us will be too angry at Hannah for killing herself and blaming everyone else.”

Hannah and Clay’s last physical words to each other are “I’m sorry” and are Hannah’s almost-last words on the tapes. Clay learns the finality of death and the pain of loss through these words, and these lessons suggestively live past the end of the book with Clay’s reference to the future: “anytime someone says….”