No Way Out from the Labyrinth

Hannah Baker’s audio tapes had been very relatable for me who, in the 90’s had collected my very own cassette recordings of my favorite singers. I am too familiar to the sounds from the audiotape; the crisp voice, the anticipated static; what were described on the novel.

So there was an extra chill when a dead girl’s voice would be heard from the tapes. Especially if that girl holds a grudge against you that you were one of the “thirteen reasons” who pushed her to kill herself. And just imagine the confusion of Clay Jensen while waiting for his story to unfold on the tape, knowing that he did not do anything wrong to Hannah. Added to the grim tale was that he followed her footsteps alone throughout their small town. The author was successful in making his novel a suspense treat on how he knotted the characters and events altogether, his dual narrative and chain letter-esque style.

In a unique way, Hannah was able to haunt and take revenge to those people who she thought were responsible for her death. There were no unanswered questions on why she took her own life. How these people “ruined” her, were sordidly described. The consequences of their actions had “snow balled” that left her nothing as they rob her of her belief in love, her security, her thoughts,  faith in others, hope, and at the end, her will to live. Likewise, the author also exposed the shortcomings of Hannah. That she could have asked for help directly and not just hinted it. This is a grave reminder for everyone that bullying and “petty cruelty” have severe effects on others more than you can ever know. And also, in difficult times, it is wrong to presume that everyone had abandoned you, because your family will always be there for you.

Alaska Young’s death however, was ambiguous. It could be either because of a car accident, or she really drove straight to her grave. I think the answer to that is relevant and the dialogue that it would illicit will be intriguing. But I remember the almost same question to the director of The Wrestler; if the protagonist died at the end. The answer was: “What was the point of the story if he did not die?” In a literary point of view, it may be suicide; it was the culmination of her self-destructive tendency that she harbored through the years. But if it was not, then her being unstable and an emotional mess had made her a careless driver that fateful night.

Pudge, as one of Alaska’s closest friends, had been thrown into the conundrum of making sense out of the tragedy. His insights about death, (“And that part has to go somewhere, because it cannot be destroyed.”) forgiveness (“I know she forgives me, just as her mother forgives her.”), afterlife (“It’s very beautiful over there.”) and hope (“We need never be hopeless because we can never be irreparably broken.”) as he write his final essay for school were really enlightening and inspiring to the readers, teenagers and adult alike.

It was not a coincidence that the female and male protagonist from the two novel share similar characteristics. Hannah and Alaska were beautiful, lively, promising but troubled and scarred; while Clay and Pudge are their friends, who secretly love them but were powerless and helpless to save them. It was a representation how weak you are being alone; you need others to tread with on this dark and cruel world. Keep on reaching out because someone would always care enough to never let you go.