rocket Ship. T shaped Cross road. Rumors. hot/not list. Hannah's scar. Monet's Garden. Photograoh. Clay's Cut, Stop Sign. Gas Station Note of encouragement. Hannah's Hair Cut. Closet, Pinball machine, paint on work bench.
The T-shaped road described represents Hannah’s life becoming a crossroad. On the cassettes Hannah talks about a T-shaped road that she walked to get to her old house. “Two streets meet on front of my old house like an upside-down T.” (Page 15) This T-shaped crossroad represents Hannah’s life becoming a crossroad. Hannah feels caught between two different paths, and does not know which way to turn for help.
The rumors symbolize Hannah’s loss of privacy and security. Hannah received her first kiss by Justin Foley, at the Eisenhower Park. Justin made up things rumors about how experienced Hannah was with guys. The kids at school found out about these rumors, and they kept on being passed on from one student to the next. Hannah was then known amongst the students as a slut. That rumor led to further rumors, and Hannah felt as if her private life did not seem to matter anymore. This is expressed when Hannah states, “A rumor based on a kiss ruined a memory that I hoped would be special. A rumor based on a kiss started a reputation that other people believed in and reacted to. And sometimes, a rumor based on a kiss has a snowball effect. A rumor, based on a kiss, is just the beginning.”
The Hot/Not represents the loss of Hannah’s dignity. Alex Daniel created a Hot/Not list. Hannah’s name was found under the “Hot” column, where she was voted “freshman with the best ass.” This list ruined Hannah’s reputation. The rumors were at the school to begin with, but the list is what led to the loss of respect people gave her. Hannah states, “Every single event documented here may never have happened had you, Alex, not written my name on that list. It’s that simple.”
Hannah’s scar is a symbol of betrayal, and the loss of a friend. Jessica Davis is responsible for that scar. Jessica was Hannah’s first friend when Hannah moved. Jessica was angry with Hannah because Hannah was put on the “Hot” side of the Hot/Not list, and Jessica was placed on the opposite side in the “Not” column. Jessica insisted on meeting with Hannah to talk about this. She was not happy with Hannah’s unserious attitude. She became frustrated, and her anger turned physical. This is explained when Hannah says, “So tell me, Jessica, which did you mean to do? Punch me, or scratch me? Because it felt like a little bit of both.” (Page 67)
Jessica’s scratch left a permanent scar on Hannah’s forehead. “That tiny scar you’ve all seen above my eyebrow, that’s the shape of Jessica’s fingernail…which I plucked out myself. But it’s more than just a scratch. It’s a punch in the stomach and a slap in the face. It’s a knife in my back because you would rather believe some made-up rumor than what you knew to be true.”
Monet’s Garden symbolizes friendship. Monet’s Garden was a small restaurant in town. When Hannah, Jessica, and Alex first became friends, they would meet at Monet’s to hang out. They talked and shared jokes with each other. Monet’s Garden became a special bond that they all shared. This is shown when Hannah states, “Monet’s Garden was our safe haven. If one of us had a hard time fitting in or meeting people we’d go to Monet’s. Back in the garden, at the far table to the right.”
After a while the three friends stopped coming to Monet’s. The friendship that formed between Hannah, Jessica, and Alex became lost. They were friendly when they saw each other in the hallways at school, but it did never went beyond that
A photograph symbolizes the false friendship of Hannah and Courtney. Hannah enjoyed being friends with Courtney, until she realized that Courtney was using her to get rides to parties. Hannah felt betrayed, and even more alone, because Courtney made it clear that Hannah could not trust anyone.
A photo was taken for the yearbook of Hannah and Courtney at a party together. The photo represents the fake friendship of the two girls. This is shown when Hannah says, “Anyone looking at that photo would definitely not be sharing our moment. They could not come close to imagining my thought in that picture…Everything about it was false.”
Towards the end of the novel Clay cuts himself. His pain is described when he remarks, “The cuts sting, but I mostly feel weak from the sight of my own blood.” (pg. 266). This physical pain described seems to be parallel to Hannah’s emotional pain. Therefore, Clay’s cut symbolizes Hannah’s emotional pain. After the thirteen bad things that happened to Hannah during the course of the novel, only cuts that keep Clay in the hospital overnight could come close to Hannah’s emotional pain.
During one of Hannah’s stories there is a stop sign that is hit and falls over. This stop sign symbolizes Hannah’s decision to commit suicide. By the stop sign not being there, there was nothing to tell Hannah to “stop.” Clay mentions how “We [everyone on the tapes] all could have stopped it. We all could have stopped something…You” (pg. 246). But there was no “sign” to tell the people on the tapes what was going on in Hannah’s head