Themes, symbols, and motifs come alive when you use a storyboard. In this activity, students will identify themes and symbols from the novel, and support their choices with details from the text.
Many of the worst behaviors in Thirteen Reasons Why are motivated by characters’ selfishness. The characters take a number of risks for selfish reasons, but rarely risk being kind. Tyler sneaks around taking voyeuristic photos. Marcus tries to molest Hannah in Rosie’s Diner. Jenny Kurtz drives away from a broken stop sign so she does not have to admit she was driving drunk. In each case, a character is ignoring the well-being of other people to pursue their own pleasure or to avoid facing justice. The novel suggests that a healthy, happy community requires concern for others. People must look outside themselves and consider the feelings of those around them. By the end of the novel, Clay takes this to heart when he reaches out to Skye in the school corridor.
Hannah talks about the “snowball effect”, arguing that a single action combines with other small actions and reactions to produce many unintended repercussions. Seemingly minor incidents that occur early in Hannah’s time at Crestmont High School end up making Hannah’s life more difficult even years later. When Alex passes around the “hot or not” list, for example, he is building up the school’s image of Hannah as sexually promiscuous, which probably leads to Tyler’s fascination with her, Marcus’s advances upon her, and Bryce’s molestations. Another prime example of the unforeseen consequences of a single act is the car accident. Jenny’s drunk driving leads to a broken stop sign. The missing sign causes a car crash, which results in the death of a senior at Crestmont. The knowledge of this accident contributes to Hannah’s feelings of guilt and worthlessness, which leads to her suicide. As Hannah tells her story, she notices more and more connections between people and events that have brought her to the point of suicide.
Hannah’s tapes repeatedly draws attention to the harmful effects of rumors. Rumors about her, though completely unsubstantiated, build a reputation that influences the way others treat her. Many of the most negative incidents in Hannah’s first year at Crestmont stem from rumors about her relationship with Justin. As her reputation grows, people like Bryce take advantage of her by touching her in unwanted and inappropriate ways. Ultimately, a rumor is the first step in the long sequence of events that leads to Hannah’s suicide.
The broken stop sign reflects the characters' inability or unwillingness to stop the negative forces in their lives. A number of tragedies in the book - the car crash, Jessica's rape, Hannah's suicide - could have been stopped if people had made better choices and bystanders had made stronger efforts to intervene.
Hannah's scar is a physical representation of her emotional pain. Given to her when Jessica slapped her and left a nail embedded in her eyebrow, the scar is a daily reminder to Hannah of the kind of betrayal and lack of dependable friends that she experiences over and over. Each new time she is betrayed, her emotional wound grows deeper.
The cassette tapes are the central symbol in the book. Since they bring revelations about Hannah’s life and expose a number of hurtful behaviors, they represent both truth and revenge. Although they reveal the reality behind the scenes, they also stand in contrast to reality. The listener’s ability to pause, stop, and rewind them at will is a poignant reminder that real life cannot be paused or rewound; our actions are immutable and their consequences must be faced.
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Student Instructions
Create a storyboard that identifies recurring themes in Thirteen Reasons Why. Illustrate instances of each theme and write a short description below each cell.
Start a class conversation about how rumors and reputation can affect individuals and the whole school community. Encourage students to connect the novel's events with their own experiences, fostering empathy and understanding. This helps students recognize the power of words and the importance of kindness.
Divide students into small groups and assign each group a character or event from the novel. Have them map out connections between their character/event and others, showing how one action leads to another. Visual mapping deepens comprehension and highlights the snowball effect theme.
Ask students to think of an object or event from their lives that could represent a strong emotion or experience, similar to the scar or tapes in the novel. Invite them to share and discuss how personal symbols can hold deep meaning, building connections between literature and real life.
Challenge students to storyboard a different outcome for a key event in the novel. Have them illustrate and describe how small changes in choices or actions could have led to better outcomes. This activity promotes critical thinking and highlights the significance of personal responsibility.
Thirteen Reasons Why explores major themes such as the destructive power of selfishness, the interconnectedness of people and events, and the impact of rumors and reputation. These themes reveal how individual actions and attitudes can deeply affect others, shaping the story’s tragic outcome.
Use creative activities like storyboards to help students identify and illustrate key themes and symbols from the novel. Encourage them to find examples in the text and discuss how each theme or symbol influences the characters and plot.
The broken stop sign symbolizes missed opportunities to prevent tragedy and the failure of characters to stop harmful events. It represents how neglect and inaction can lead to serious consequences for everyone involved.
The cassette tapes are central to the story, symbolizing truth and revenge. They reveal Hannah’s experiences and expose the actions of others, reminding readers that real life cannot be rewound and that every action has lasting effects.
Effective classroom activities include creating storyboards of recurring motifs, discussing the meaning of symbols like Hannah’s scar or the tapes, and writing reflections on how these motifs contribute to the novel’s message.