ENGLISH PROJECT SEMESTER I

BOOK REVIEW: ALL THE BRIGHT PLACES

Submitted by: Manushree Tyagi Submitted to:

The batch of 2027 Section A Navleen Multani

Roll Number: 22057 Assistant Professor

Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law

Punjab, Patiala
2022

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 DECLARATION

I hereby declare that the project report entitled “All the Bright Places” submitted to Rajiv Gandhi
National University of Law, Punjab, Patiala is an outcome of my original work carried out under the
supervision of Assistant Professor of English Navleen Multani. The Project is entirely based on my own
research work and has not been submitted elsewhere. All the ideas and references have been duly
acknowledged. To the best of my understanding, the project is free from plagiarism.

Manushree Tyagi
Rajiv Gandhi National University of Law, Punjab
Patiala
07/10/2022

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 ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

The accomplishment of this project is owed to the constant support and guidance of people to whom I’d like
to convey my sincere gratitude. The constant support and encouragement from my peers and teachers
enabled me to complete this project. Their valuable help and guidance were instrumental in resolving all my
doubts encountered during the making of this project. The library staff aided me in my research for the
project through the usage of the online databases and journal collections available in the library. Lastly, I
would like to sincerely appreciate my parents for their constant encouragement and moral support to enable
me to complete this project. And God, without your eyes on me and inner strength this project would have
always remained an idea.

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 TABLE OF CONTENTS
Contents
DECLARATION………………………………………………………………………2
ACKNOWLEDGEMENT…………………………………………………………….3
INTRODUCTION……………………………………………………………………..5
CHARACTERS……………………………………………….………………………..9
THEMES……………………………………………………………………………….12
MOTIFS………………………………………………………………………………..14
SYMBOLS……………………………………………………………………………..16
EXPOSITORY………………………………………………………………………...17
CONCLUSION………………………………………………………………………...19

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 INTRODUCTION

Originating from the author Jennifer Niven is a young adult fiction novel which is based on her personal
story, titled All the Bright Places. Originally published on January 6, 2015, through Knopf
Publishing Group, the novel is Niven's first young adult publication. After 5 years of the publication of the
novel due to its increasing popularity among people, Netflix launched a film adaptation of the novel that
starred Elle Fanning and Justice Smith on February 28, 2020.1

Jennifer Niven is an international and New York Times best-selling American author. Her first two books
were nonfiction narratives called The Ice Master (published in 2000) and Ada Blackjack: A True Story of
Survival in the Arctic (published in 2003). In 2009, she began work on a series of historical novels. The first,
Velva Jean Learns to Drive, was based on a short film of the same name that she had created. It won an
Emmy and the Colin Higgins Award for Screenwriting. Velva Jean Learns to Fly, Becoming Clementine,
and American Blonde are also included in the series. Her book All the Bright Places was the top-selling YA
novel of 2015. 2

SUMMARY
1
Wikipedia contributors. “All The Bright Places.” Wikipedia, 13 Sept. 2022,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_the_Bright_Places.

2
---. “Jennifer Niven.” Wikipedia, 9 July 2022, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jennifer_Niven.

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In All the Bright Places, Theodore Finch and Violet Markey's first-person narration construct a tale of their
unexpected relationship and love, of helping and being saved in the face of traumatic loss. The first character
introduced is Theodore, also referred to as "Finch." He continues by describing how, on a chilly winter day,
he finds himself sitting on the brink of the six-story-tall bell tower of Bartlett High School and thinking
about suicide. Violet, a fellow Bartlett High student whom Finch remembered as "Violet Something," stood
on the exact same ledge as Theodore and considered jumping. Finch approached Violet who was scared
when she realized what she was actually contemplating doing, Finch yelled loud enough for the onlookers to
hear: "Don't save me! You're going to kill yourself!"
Gabe Romero, or famously known as Roamer, shouted at him from below, "Get it over with, freak!"
Ignoring him, Finch slowly gave instructions to Violet on how to climb off the ledge in a steady, calm voice.
She then manages to pull him away from the wall she then smiles at him and threatens to kill him if he tells
anyone else about what really happened there on the ledge. Charlie Donahue, Finch's best friend, shows up.
He seemed to be concerned, but Finch manages to convince him that everyone is going to die at some point
in the future. During Finch’s counseling session with Mr. Embry or Embryo, both of them talk about all that
was going on in Theo’s life and where he had been for the last five weeks.

After talking about her past, Violet reveals that she meets with Mrs. Kresney, the school counsellor, on a
regular basis. Since Eleanor, Violet's sister, was killed in a car collision, there had been a total of twelve
meetings between them. Violet simply tells Mrs. Kresney that she is "not ready" to resume normal activities.
Finch chooses Violet as his partner for the "Wander Indiana" project later that day during U.S. Geography.
Violet tries to drop out of the project, but their professor urges her to "get back on the camel." The horrible
experience Violet had to go through is recalled by Finch. Finch makes a Facebook account and sends Violet
a friend request in an effort to learn more about her. Violet accepts the request. She, however, requests that
Finch remove a video he posted to her page in which he can be heard singing a song about a boy jumping off
a roof. The day on the ledge would have been Violet's sister's nineteenth birthday, she continues, but nothing
matters now that she is gone. Finch believes that she must still care about something that she is unaware of
since otherwise, she would have leaped. As part of their wandering expedition, Violet and Finch set out to
explore their native Indiana and find intriguing and unexplored locations. Their first adventure takes them to
Hoosier Hill, Indiana's highest point. Violet is surprised when Finch takes her hand in his to pull her up to
the elevation marker. Their friendship and mutual affection grow throughout this period and the course of
their subsequent wanderings.
We find out that Finch's mother denies his suffering and that he has an abusive father who no longer resides
with them. Because of his battle with mental illness, he is rejected by his peers and called a "freak." For
Violet's sake, Finch fights to "keep Awake" and avoid falling asleep while experiencing the manic symptoms

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 of his untreated bipolar disease. He rearranges his bedroom to make it smaller due to his obsession with
suicide and eventually takes up residence in his closet. Smaller areas seem safer to him as "the Asleep"
approaches.

On the first warm day, Finch brings Violet to the Blue Hole, a three-acre lake. When Finch goes beneath the
water and holds his breath for a while, Violet first becomes afraid, followed by anger. She tells him about
the enraged person she is on the inside when Finch begs her to let it all out. He shares with her his stomach
scar and his father's sullen behavior. On their way back to Violet's house after their swim, Finch makes a
detour to Purina Tower, where they climb to the top and wrap themselves in a blanket. When they wake up
the next morning, they both realize that Violet's parents have no idea where she is. Despite Finch's best
attempts, her parents order him to leave and ban Violet from ever seeing him again because they are in a
panic.

Finch descends more into his withdrawn, depressed Sleep condition as he is denied the chance to meet
Violet, who had been the only thing keeping him awake. One night, he overdoses on sleeping pills but
afterward gets second thoughts and makes an effort to vomit them up. He arrives in the hospital, where his
stomach is pumped. He attends a Life Is Life gathering where he meets Finch's adversary Amanda Monk, a
classmate, and Roamer's girlfriend. He learns that Amanda is a bulimic who has made two suicide attempts.
Since she hasn't heard from Finch in a few days, Violet drives herself to his home. Amanda tells Violet that
Finch tried suicide. When Violet brings up the matter, Finch becomes more serious and informs her that
neither Eleanor nor she can be saved. Violet flees in fury. When she arrives home, she tells her parents
everything, including the fact that Finch is the one who pulled her over the cliff and that he needs assistance.
They try to contact Finch's parents, but Finch's mother is unaware of their claims and denies them.

Finch disappears. He hasn't returned for a couple of weeks. He texts Violet several times before becoming
silent. She makes an effort to move on by starting her own online publication, Germ, and expanding her
group of school pals.

Kate, Finch's older sister, shows up at Violet's front door on a Sunday morning and asks whether she has
heard from him. He normally checks in on Saturdays, but not this week. After Kate shows her the "strange
email" she received from Finch that morning, Violet acknowledges that they are no longer in touch. When
Violet logs onto Facebook, she finds a post from Finch that was also sent that morning and quoted from The
Waves of Virginia Woolf. He signed off by saying, "Come, I say, come." Stay, Violet types, and stay, I say.
Finch stays silent.

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Violet visits Finch's home after learning that his friends Charlie and Brenda had just got strange emails from
him. Violet searches Finch's room for any signs of a body of water to help her figure out where Finch has
gone. Violet is then asked to take Finch home by Finch's mother. Divers discover Finch's body in the Blue
Hole as Violet had prophesied. Violet communicates with Finch in her head throughout the burial, reminding
him that it was he who taught her how to live life to the fullest. She runs into Mr. Embry, who recognizes her
as a survivor and gives her a copy of SOS: A Handbook for Suicide Survivors. Violet is aware of the fact
that she has undergone a permanent alteration. She decides to complete the project and their wanderings by
using cues from Finch's most recent collection of books to identify the locations he had added to the map.

Violet discovers a letter from Finch and a music score in the chapel's Bible that are both addressed to her.
The Taylor Prayer Chapel is the last stop on the tour. When she comes home, she remembers the songs and
plays them on her flute. Violet and I arrive at the Blue Hole to close out the story. When she considers the
eulogy she wrote for Finch, she realizes she hasn't done the same for herself. She daydreams of all the places
she has yet to visit as she treads water beneath the huge, blue sky.

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 CHARACTERS

1. Theodore Finch
Finch is a teenager with mental illness who serves as one of the novel's narrators and protagonists. Because
his family is generally dysfunctional and his peers tease him, Finch is a loner, and the lonely coping methods
he uses to manage his suicidal depression don't work effectively for him. One of the many little controls
Finch uses to tame his rogue mentality is keeping track of time, and that control extends to how he tries to
influence other people's opinions of him. He uses his carefully guarded phrases and each new identity that
he assumes to amuse himself or interest others, but in reality, he is using them as a defence from his own
fragility. Except for his father and Roamer, Finch has no genuine animosity against anyone, yet because of
his sickness, he can be relentlessly harsh on himself. He orchestrates many of his conversations with Violet
with an ironic twist to prevent her from being too hard on herself. Finch has a clear and real affection for
Violet, yet he also recognises her sadness. Although he is compassionate to her and wants to see her fly, he
only does so on his terms, which is a result of the parts of his disease that contribute to his desire for control.
Despite appearing tough, Finch longs for acceptance. His mother's devotion is marred by his disappointment
that, despite her love for Finch, she does not completely comprehend him. His father's rejection pains him as
much as his abuse. In the end, Finch is only concerned about Violet's love and acceptance, as evidenced by
the fact that he plans an itinerary for her to follow after his passing. Finch manages Violet's emotions by
posing questions that he knows will make her happy and relieved, but more significantly, will make her
remember him always.

2. Violet Markey
When Violet first appears, she is a sad and reclusive adolescent who is mourning the loss of her sister. She is
the second narrator of the book. She does the very least to get by at school and at home, unlike Finch who
goes through extreme mood swings, and she refrains from expressing any strong emotions, such as intense
delight or overpowering grief. Finch is only made aware of her fear when she is out on the ledge by her
body's automatic reaction to it. Violet makes little effort to enjoy or advance in her own life in an effort to
lessen her survivor's guilt. Words were Violet's greatest love before Eleanor passed away, but since writing
was something she and Eleanor used to do together, she no longer indulges in it. Finch encourages Violet to
engage in her passions, first for words and later for him, which is her first step toward healing and
discovering her own identity apart from Eleanor's. Though Violet takes some time to come to terms with her
more intense emotions of pain, rage, and pleasure, her capacity to open up to Finch, rethink her relationship

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with writing, and alter her relationship with her parents give hope that she will quickly make up for lost time.
When she generally does this alone herself, it looks possible that she will have individuals with whom she
may express her emotions in the future. She allows herself to wallow in the intense emotions that come to
the surface while traveling Finch's final journey.

3. Amanda Monk
Amanda Monk is one of Violet's other popular girls. Amanda has more to her than meets the eye. She is
always in the background, and while she does not rush to Finch's defense when the others mock him, she
also does not take the initiative. She isn't as cruel or petty as Roamer, whose narcissism likely prevents him
from noticing her personal struggles with depression and bulimia. Amanda refuses to tell Finch about her
problems. She is as eager as he is to attend the Life Is Life meeting, and like him, Amanda drives to the next
state to avoid seeing anyone who might reveal her secret. Amanda, on the other hand, is there of her own
volition and genuine desire for assistance, and it appears that she will take steps to improve herself. She is
wise enough to break her own rule about secrecy when she believes it will benefit Finch, and after his death,
she is honest with Violet about her own darkness in order for Violet to better understand Finch.

4. Charlie Donahue
among Finch's closest friends. Despite his baseball prowess, Charlie is unfazed and deals with most
situations calmly. He doesn't ask for much from Finch and is always open to hearing him out without making
assumptions.

5. Brenda Shrank Kravitz

A second-best pal of Finch. Like Charlie, Brenda doesn't pursue prestige, but she does appreciate deep
relationships. She shares Violet's intelligence and maturity.

6. Gabe Romero (Roamer)

Former middle school friend who is now Finch's adversary. He is always the one who picks fights with
Finch or calls him a freak. The character with the greatest malicious cruelty is Roamer, along with Finch's
father.

7. Mr. Embry (Embryo)

School counselor for Finch. He is a good man who sincerely cares about the students, but he is not equipped
to recognize the gravity of Finch's issues.

8. Mrs. Marion Kresney

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school counselor for Violet. Since the passing of Violet's sister, she has had numerous meetings with Violet.
In an attempt to persuade Violet to open up, she asks the same questions at every appointment. Although she
is likely insightful enough to identify Violet's issues and how to help her, her tactic is to have Violet come to
her own conclusions.

9. Ted Finch
Father of Finch and a former NHL hockey player. When Finch was ten years old, he abandoned her. Finch,
who informs Violet's parents and Mr. Embry that his father has passed away, still feels the repercussions of
Mr. Finch's abusive actions toward Finch's mother. Mr. Finch still continues to verbally and physically abuse
Finch. Despite Mr. Finch's best efforts, his fury is always seething beneath the surface.

10. Mrs. Finch

Mrs. Finch, I suppose, but no one calls her by that name. She had become sceptical due to her years spent in
an abusive marriage, and her second job at the bookstore provides her with little free time to spend with or
watch over her three children. Despite her love for her kids, she is unaware of Finch's mental state and
unable to support her difficult son emotionally.

11. Kate Finch

The age of Eleanor Markey, Finch's older sister. By default, Kate is the mother of her two younger siblings,
and she covers Finch's lengthy absences by lying to the kids' teachers and parents. She loves Finch, but at
first she is wary of Violet. Regarding their father and his new family, she concurs with Finch. She is more
vocal in her support of Finch than their mother, but she also has a propensity to ignore the many warning
signs in his conduct.

12. James Markey

Rarely is Violet's father by name mentioned. He is a devoted husband and father who is also grieving,
however he can get downright cranky when the going gets tough.

13. Mrs. Markey

Unidentified mother of Violet. Like her husband, she makes an effort to maintain as much normalcy as she
can while maintaining a brave front for Violet. The two are in agreement when it comes to parenting
choices, but Mrs. Markey is the one to start a heartfelt, one-on-one chat with Violet after she snaps at her
parents.

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 14. Mr. Black
The Wander Indiana project is given to the pupils by the American geography teacher. He is the one person
who prevents Violet from using her sorrow as an escape from her obligations.

THEMES

1. Entering Adulthood
Throughout the course of the book, Violet and Finch go through separate but simultaneous coming-of-age
experiences. Two deaths—those of Finch and her sister—serve as the bookends of Violet's tale. With the
first, the instant the catastrophe happens, any semblance of Violet's childhood safety and security is
destroyed. She ceases setting her own objectives since she becomes the only object of her parents'
expectations. She restricts her physical mobility by refusing to get in a car, which impedes her own
emotional growth. Both the knowledge that such traumatic events might occur in the world and Finch are not
something Violet actively seeks out. On the other side, their suffering pushes them both over the edge.
Violet gains emotional faith in Finch after these awful circumstances. She learns to trust her impulses when
she permits herself to pursue her magazine while Finch is gone. She is able to look forward to the remainder
of her life after his suicide, which is a highly mature quality. She keeps his memory close to her.

2. The struggle to stay alive.

His relationship with Violet, on the other hand, allows him to temporarily shift his focus away from himself,
and their journeys together, as well as the itinerary he creates for her, give him a reason to hold on and hang
in there for a while longer. By the time Finch commits suicide, he has exhausted all coping mechanisms that
he can think of, and his illness prevents him from believing that anyone else can help him. The idea of
survival affects how Finch and Violet interact with the outside world as well as how they view themselves
and their beliefs. The ability of Finch and Violet to persist even when they want to give up shows that
humans are born with the instinct to survive. Due to his mental disorder, Finch feels alone and
misunderstood. As a result, he hides the entire nature of his issues when he becomes suicidal. After her
initial visit to the ledge, Violet decides she does not want to die, but she still finds it difficult to accept or
understand her life. Although she is temporarily experiencing a traumatic event-related mental health issue,
it is no less severe than what Finch is going through. Violet is able to passively decline a number of
commitments due to her grief over the passing of her sister Eleanor. It does not, however, stop her from
arriving in the first place. After counting her days and going through the motions, Violet gradually
internalises the rhythm of putting one foot in front of the other and starts racing into her life rather than away
from it.

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 3. Family and Community Assistance

Despite his unpredictable conduct and sporadic acts of violence, Finch's mental illness was the primary
factor in his demise; nonetheless, no adults in his life took significant steps to recognise or treat his disease.
Ted Finch did not directly cause his son's mental illness, but he did foster the dysfunctional family
environment that made it go unrecognised. Like his family, Finch's counsellor lacked the skills and guts to
pose the probing questions that would have ended his life. His close friends offered him emotional support,
but he never confided in them about his suicide intentions, and they lacked the maturity to assist him. As a
result, he kept them at a distance. The fact that no one else seems to be as concerned about Finch as Violet is
upsetting Violet. Finch can fall into depression, vanish, and then commit suicide without anyone being
concerned for his safety or taking his behaviour seriously enough to get him the help he needed due to the
failure of his family and community to take his odd behaviour seriously (or, in the case of his family, to
notice that he's behaving oddly at all). If Finch had received the same level of familial support as Violet, he
might have been able to overcome his mental illness. Informing her parents, the two adults who can aid, of
Finch's need for assistance takes Violet until it is too late. Even so, it had unexpected repercussions that led
to the dissolution of Violet's familial unit. Even though it was challenging, Violet's parents did not back
down from confronting her when her behaviour upset them, despite their best efforts to maintain
appearances and spirits for Violet's sake. Because of their tenacity, they were able to comfort Violet in the
wake of Finch's suicide and eventually grieve Eleanor's loss as a family. They could have been moved by
Finch's plight to offer the family assistance he so sorely needed if they had realised sooner that he
constituted a larger risk to himself than to their daughter.

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 MOTIFS

1. Colors
The novel makes use of colour to depict both characters' and moods'. As he gets to know Violet better, Finch
decides to change her name from Violet to Ultraviolet because Violet is a colour in and of herself. Despite
the fact that Niven doesn't mention NYU directly in the book, she does leave an Easter egg in the shape of
Violet's top pick of schools. The school's competitive teams go by the name of The Violets, and its official
colours are purple and white. Because some colours in his environment, like the hues he sees when he gets
migraines, are outside of his control, Finch consciously uses colour to try to affect his mood or his thoughts.
When he paints his room blue, it takes several coats to keep the scarlet from showing through, demonstrating
how difficult it is for him to maintain self-control. White is all the colours at once, therefore when he
eventually paints the ceiling blue as well, it suggests that he would rather be safe than sorry. The fact that he
first chose to leave the ceiling white indicates that he is considering all of his alternatives. Violet honours
Finch and gives him the initiative back when she chooses to paint the World's Largest Ball of Paint blue.

2. Birds
Although Finch didn't choose his last name, which sounds like a bird, he decided to use it in place of the
name his parents gave him in an effort to leave his dysfunctional family. Birds are a symbol of freedom.
Despite his worry that his mother may use the cardinal story against him as proof of his sensitivity, he tells
Violet the incident as a way of opening himself to her. This demonstrates that he will always harbour his
mother's erroneous perceptions about him. Finch and Violet enjoy skipping school together to watch a rare
hooded crane splash in the water. Its appearance reveals how unusual it is for them to be able to carve out
some time by themselves without being influenced by other people's thoughts. After that, one of their peers
makes an unwelcome interruption.

3. Troubled Female Authors

Both Violet and Finch's common anguish and optimism for one another are sparked by their shared interest
in broken female writers. He receives a little boost of confidence after Violet replies to his second round of
Virginia Woolf quotes when he imagines her smiling at him. This is when he first sees a flicker of hope.
When sitting by himself in the shower, he turns to Virginia Woolf's words for solace, it is clear that he is in

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 excruciating pain. Violet uses a phrase to calm her own love and fear for Finch while she is a student at
NYU. Violet, a disturbed female novelist, abstains from creating anything of her own while grieving the loss
of her sister, but she enjoys the Bronte sisters' works. When Violet finally finishes writing Germ, she has
begun to express all of her emotions and has made room for other female writers to do the same. Violet is
not yet ready to articulate her wrath, but Emily Bronte's words give it a voice.

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 SYMBOLS

1. The Bell Tower

The bell tower serves as a metaphor for how isolating mental illness is for people who experience it as well
as the scene of the provoking occurrence. A bell tower is a traditional building that was popular in an era
when most people didn't have their own timepieces and relied on the sound of the bells to determine when to
work and when to worship. Bell towers were historically more common in churches than high schools. The
Bartlett High bell tower serves as a representation of how far apart Violet and Finch are from their
classmates, whom they almost hover above in the tower. It also serves as a metaphor for how little a world
Bartlett High is by itself. Although they maintain time in different ways, both Violet and Finch are
compulsive timekeepers. Despite the bell tower's ominous presence, neither of them makes any reference to
its importance during their first encounter.

2. Eleanor’s Spectacles
Eleanor's spectacles serve as a metaphor for Violet's coping style and a barometer for how well she is
handling her loss. Although Violet gets headaches from wearing her spectacles, she does so as a sign of
mourning rather than to improve her vision. Violet demonstrates her readiness to generate ideas without
Eleanor and to start moving on when she puts Eleanor's glasses in Eleanor's old room while brainstorming a
fresh concept for a group writing project. A set of goggles for their excursion to Blue Hole are then given to
her by Finch shortly after. She can see clearly with these, giving her a positive outlook on the future.

3. Water
Throughout the novel, Finch turns to the water for comfort, and in the end, he finds what he perceives to be
the ultimate comfort of death at Blue Hole. After a day of swimming in Blue Hole, Finch and Violet engage
in sexual activity for the first time. Finch amuses Violet with a game of Marco Polo there before upsetting
her by staying too long underwater while looking for the bottomless black hole. For the first time, Violet
exhibits actual fury toward Finch when he emerges from the water, which is the same sky-blue colour as his
eyes. She is afraid that the unknown power lurking beneath the ocean's surface may engulf Finch.
Later, Violet explores the depths of those same waters fearlessly in search of Finch's corpse. She once more
treads water there after her last wanderings, but not in the sense of merely keeping her head above water.
This time, she floats contentedly in the clear blue sea beneath the clear blue sky.

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 EXPOSITORY

A major theme that has been talked about time and again is mental health and the stigma related to it.
Supportive laws and policies are required for the protection of human rights and the mental health of
vulnerable populations. In the field of mental health care in India, it is frequently necessary to make changes
to existing regulations as well as to create new ones. The majority of mental health care reform to date has
been reactive, but newer laws and policies offer promise for proactive change. People who have mental
illnesses are more likely to be abused or have their basic rights violated. Such mistreatment or violation may
come from a variety of social groups, including organizations, families, carers, friends, strangers from the
community, and law enforcement authorities. This establishes a requirement for a safeguarding system to
guarantee appropriate, sufficient, timely, and humane healthcare services. Although the country's National
Mental Health Programme was reorganized in 1996 despite existing since 1982, it is reasonable to say that
up to this point, mental health policy and programming have been more reactive than proactive.3 In addition
to institutional care, some PILs have also emphasized the economic, social, and cultural rights of those with
mental illness. A number of reports from the National Human Rights Commission highlighted the severe
shortcomings in institutional care for people with mental illness while also demonstrating the positive
changes that could be made with persistent monitoring, collaboration, and proactive intervention – improved
structural facilities and living conditions, budgets, voluntary admissions becoming more frequent than court
admissions, and greater community participation. The National Mental Health Policy's guiding principle has
been the necessity to offer the least restrictive treatment possible for people with mental illnesses, and by
extension, to create enough community care facilities for people with mental illnesses. The largest challenge
in the coming decades will be to make a deliberate effort to improve human resources in the field of mental
health care. All healthcare professionals must be trained in mental health-related topics, but it's also crucial
to create specialists in various facets of mental health care. This aspect can be looked back to the book where
Finch goes through periods of what he refers to as "dark moods," which are actually severe depressive
episodes. His mother, who only believes in physical disease and would advise him to take a painkiller if he
claimed to be feeling poorly, believes that mental illness is stigmatized in his family. The stigma is even
more pronounced in school. Because of his propensity to lose his temper easily, his mental instability, and
3
NCBI - WWW Error Blocked Diagnostic. www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5282613.

Accessed 8 Oct. 2022.

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 his propensity to frequently leave school, everyone labels him a freak and believes he is crazy. Due to his

mental disorder, Finch is made fun of by everyone and is shunned. Despite the fact that many individuals are
actually dealing with mental health issues, they continue to bully Finch because they believe that if he is the
center of attention, they will all be safe. When Mr. Embry hypothesizes that Finch may suffer from bipolar
disorder, we can see how severely this stigma has affected him. Finch becomes angry at the term because he
thinks that a diagnosis just reduces a person to something that can be explained away, rather than being
relieved to be able to name the emotions he's feeling and understand that it's not him, it's an illness. While
Finch's concerns are entirely justified, the discussion is interesting because it suggests that he would have
been able to feel better if he had accepted his diagnosis, told Violet and his family about it, and sought
specific therapy for it. In India Mental Health Care Act, 2017 is An Act to Provide Mental Healthcare and
Services for Persons with Mental Illness and to Protect, Promote, and Fulfil Such Persons' Rights During the
Delivery of Mental Healthcare and Services and for Matters Connected or Incidental Thereto4. This act
becomes a catalyst for helping people suffering from mental disorders to avail their rights and resources at
their time of need whose importance is being talked about in the book time and again.

4
---. “Mental Healthcare Act, 2017.” Wikipedia, 13 July 2022,

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mental_Healthcare_Act,_2017.

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 CONCLUSION

In my opinion, "All The Bright Places" is able to establish a satisfactory balance between its light-hearted
teen romance plot and its examination of suicidal and traumatic themes. It also makes the reader face the
harsh truth that, despite your love for someone, there are times when saving them isn't possible. The book
delicately explores first love, how easily one can fall in love, as well as the anguish that results when one's
fantasy of forever disappears after a few months. It also looks at how challenging adolescence can be and
how simple it is to give someone your everything only to have it torn away. The novel addresses life and
death frequently, demonstrates to the reader the value of life, and conveys the overwhelming message that
everything must be done before it is too late. It demonstrates how the idea of "what might have been" can
ruin a person. The novel has in all dealt conscientiously with the treatment of mental illness, trauma, and

suicide.

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 BIBLIOGRAPHY
1. Niven, Jennifer. All the Bright Places. Ember, 2015.

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