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Chapters 1 & 2

Summary: Chapter 1: Finch: I am awake again. Day 6

Theodore Finch, or Finch, doesn’t remember how he got there. He is at school, standing on a ledge six stories high. Violet Something, the girl who dates Ryan Cross and is friends with Amanda Monk, is on the ledge nearby, shaking. Finch moves toward her, talking quietly, giving her instructions for how to safely get down. Meanwhile, he yells so the crowd can hear him, “Don’t save me! You’ll kill yourself!”

With Violet now safe, Finch imagines stepping off, and sailing past Amanda who watches from below. He hears one of his classmates, Gabe Romero, or Roamer, yell up at him, “Get it over with, freak,” and sees Mr. Embry, his counselor, looking up. 

Violet helps Finch over the wall. He asks her if she thinks a perfect day is possible. She doesn’t know, she’s never had one. She thanks “Theodore Finch,” and kisses him on the cheek. She warns Finch she will kill him if he tells anyone what really happened, then hurries away. 

Charlie Donahue, Finch’s best friend, has come through the tower door. He’s concerned, but Finch tells Charlie that everyone has to die someday.

Finch, who is on probation this year “due to a small matter involving a desk and a chalkboard,” meets with Mr. Embry, or Embryo as Finch calls him, in the counseling office. They discuss what happened and where Finch has been for the last five weeks. Finch does not admit that Kate, his older sister, has been covering for him while he’s been in “a long, dark sleep.” Embryo tells Finch his door is always open to talk. Finch thanks him, relieved that Embryo never mentioned Violet.  

Summary: Chapter 2 : Violet: 154 days till graduation

Violet Markey has her twelfth meeting with Mrs. Marion Kresney, the school counselor. Violet’s nightmares had started a month after her sister Eleanor’s car accident, so Mrs. Kresney always begins by asking about sleep. They discuss college applications and writing, and the website that Eleanor and Violet had started. Violet doesn’t want to talk about it. For her, words died at the moment of the accident. 

Mrs. Kresney probes Violet about resuming regular activities. Violet’s three magic words are, “I’m not ready.” When Mrs. Kresney tells her that she must remember that she’s a survivor, Violet abruptly walks out.

On the way to class, people tell Violet how brave she was to save Theodore Finch from killing himself. Finch is a Bartlett High School legend, hated by some, worshipped by others. He does the opposite of what Anna Faris said one must do to survive high school, “lay low.”

In Russian Literature, Mrs. Mahone describes a class writing assignment. But Violet has “Extenuating Circumstances” and isn’t paying attention. She has a headache, most likely from wearing Eleanor’s glasses. Emily Ward passes Violet a note from Ryan Cross, Violet’s on and off boyfriend. He asks if Violet saved Finch from killing himself. She replies, “I just happened to be there.”

After class, Ryan waits in the hall to talk to Violet. Theodore Finch nods at Violet as he passes.

Analysis: Chapters 1 & 2

While Finch and Violet alternate as narrators from one chapter to the next, each chapter’s subtitle offers insight into its narrator’s perspective on the passage of time. The way that Finch describes his mental illness indicates that he has been dealing with it for quite some time and that it is getting worse. His use of the relatively benign terms “awake” and “asleep” to gauge his well-being suggests that he has not received a professional diagnosis and categorizing his illness this way allows him some measure of denial about its severity. He does not know when the next bout will strike, and so he makes the most of each day that he considers himself to be Awake. Time does not stop when Violet and Finch meet on the bell tower, but Niven’s use of a clock as the backdrop for this inciting incident does illustrate that time is of the essence for them both to receive the help that they need to move forward with their lives. 

While Violet and Finch each decide not to jump, it is clear that this decision offers only a temporary respite for Finch, whose thoughts on death add complexity to his character and to the moment at the bell tower. Finch needs professional help in order to stay well, and his sole resource is Mr. Embry, one of many well-meaning yet ineffectual adult characters. Finch’s nickname for him, Embryo, positions Mr. Embry as harmless and not worthy of Finch’s contempt. Mr. Embry possesses the training and the empathy to help, yet Finch refrains from disclosing the extent of his struggles to his counselor. Similarly, it is easier for Mr. Embry to believe Finch’s charade than to delve deeper into Finch’s issues. Although Mr. Embry seems to genuinely care about Finch’s well-being and wants to make sure that Finch isn’t at risk of hurting or killing himself, he doesn’t ultimately give Finch the level of support he needs. The fact that Finch’s sister rather than his mother is the one who helps him during his depressive episode sets the tone for many instances to come in which Finch is essentially left to fend for himself. Keeping this information from Mr. Embry is an act of restraint. Like standing on the bell tower without jumping, this act allows Finch to maintain a sense of control.

In the wake of her sister’s death, Violet’s investment in the role of “popular girl” prevents her from showing vulnerability and seeking support in order to process her survivor’s remorse. If laying low is the key to surviving high school, it is also the key to Violet’s popular status with her peers, and asking for their help would only undermine that status. This desire to lay low in order to maintain her popularity also informs Violet’s interactions with Mrs. Kresney, who demonstrates her insight into Violet’s mental well-being when she attempts to lead her into a conversation about her writing. Violet’s refusal to engage meaningfully with Mrs. Kresney suggests that Violet prioritizes her status over her emotional health. When Mrs. Kresney reminds Violet that she is a survivor, she employs a traditional technique that mental health professionals employ to help patients reframe their stories and stop seeing themselves as victims. She uses the word “survivor” in the hopes of sparking action, but Violet has become so rooted in her own pattern of inaction that she now suffers from inertia. Just as Finch gives Mr. Embry the bare minimum during their sessions, Violet is also perceptive enough to see through Mrs. Kresney’s techniques and remains aloof and uncommunicative.

Next section Chapters 3 & 4

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