13 Reasons Why was launched on Netflix last month and has stirred up a lot of attention ever since. The show follows 13 tapes, left behind by Hannah Baker after she committed suicide, detailing the 13 reasons why she killed herself. A modern adaptation of the novel by Jay Asher, the show talks about the cruelty that many teenagers face and the reality of sexual assault and suicide.
SPOILER ALERT
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A main point of controversy is the detail in which the show goes into when showing sexual assault and suicide within the show. The show includes two very violent and vivid rape scenes and a suicide scene in which Hannah vividly slits both her wrists and is found by her mother.
The show definitely does the novel justice in clarifying the nature of the relationship between that characters and how they interact after the suicide, especially the debate of whether they should release the tapes and reveal the truth or whether they should lie to protect themselves. A large part of the show depicts the struggles that the characters go through in deciding what to do and how Hannah’s tapes change them all.
A new element added into the series is the law suit that Hannah’s parents file against the school. This is one of the main conflicts that the characters undergo as they struggle with the pain of knowing the truth but wanting to protect themselves. I think it was a perfect addition to the story as it shows the struggle that her parents went through as well as they try to make sure that the school takes responsibility for its role in the matter and tries to protect future students by making sure that this doesn’t happen to them.
The series, although probably very difficult for some to watch, sends an excellent message about the reality of the struggles that teenagers undergo and the nature of the cruelty that they face and will probably push a lot of people to rethink the way they treat others and realize that words do matter. I think that the show is just what many kids need in order to fully understand the repercussions of our actions.