by

GROUP 3
REACTION PAPER
INTRODUCTION.

All the Bright Places is an amazing novel for a multitude of reasons, including its fast paced plot along
with its crushing relatability. I instantly fell in love with the characters and found that I learned so much
about mental health and how easy it is for anyone to put up a mask and no one to notice. a compelling and
beautiful story about a girl who’s learning to live from a boy who intends to die. The story continues and
the two open up about their struggles with mental illness, death, and suicide. This book does a great job of
showing the struggle of facing mental illness alone as well as showing how accepting help is the first step
towards overcoming, rather than a sign of weakness.

The two teenagers badly want to escape from the small Indiana town of Bartlett. Violet is a popular girl
who is secretly dealing with survivor’s remorse, and Finch is a boy obsessed with death. Fate brings the
two together when both climbed the bell tower at school at the same time, planning to jump off the ledge.
All the Bright Places perfectly expresses the mind of a teenager who has to face the rocky terrain that is
adolescence, while bearing the additional unrelenting weight of mental illnesses like depression, PTSD, and
suicidal thoughts. The book importantly reminds the reader that help is available and there are always going
to be people willing to listen. The story’s objective is to recall and show a side of a person’s life in our society
in which everyone may suffer from mental illness and its profound consequences on the person suffering
from it and others around them. Finch and Violet meet on top of the school bell tower.

BODY.

The story focuses on the main characters, Theodore Finch and Violet Markey. Finch is a man fascinated by
death. Violet is a distructed woman which affects her everyday life. It was because her sister died. Theodore
Finch faces three types of societal strife in the book. They centered on Finch’s conflicting feelings toward
a teacher and his parents. Finch’s conflict interest was toward his girlfriend and best friend, and Finch’s
role conflict was toward his father’s actions, which caused him to be outcast by his peers. His various
personalities, hobbies, and other knowledge from his prior life all influence his outlook on society. Finch
resolves his struggle by attempting to be mature, forgetting his history, avoiding those he despises the
most, changing his bad habits, and forgetting his wish to commit suicide. On the other hand, Violet Markey
severely suffered from her Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Her insights about everything is always related
to her sister, Eleanor. She doesn’t want to let go of the situation that just makes her inside the circle, she
always gatekeeps all the necessary improvements through friends.
A flirtation on Finch’s behalf becomes something deeper and more meaningful. I just think it’s a brilliantly
written work with characters that are so vivid and heartbreaking that they stay with me long after I’ve
done reading. Although Jennifer Niven has written extensively about adolescent suicide, this book does
not preach and instead leaves the reader feeling inspired and hopeful. The main characters meet for the
first time in a memorable scene in any circumstances. They had been attending the same school for quite
some time. In Geography Class, Finch finds a way to ever start his move due to his interesting curiousness
on Violet. He approach to his professor to have a partner system in doing the project. Very captivating
beginning for the two to start the story.

The author of the narrative addresses crucial subjects for a younger readership such as mental health,
depression, and suicide. Jennifer stated that it is critical that we discuss these issues with young people.
Since she believes that young people are the ones who can assist us in overcoming life’s issues because
they are the ones who are affected by them and who have overcome them. They are the ones who can
regulate your feelings and ideas concerning the difficulties you’ve faced. Young kids are aware of the
consequences of not having someone to listen to their runs. It may result in suicide.

In this part, the characters deal with their own losses in their personal lives and how some are able to
overcome these losses and strive forward while others are held back in these haunting memories and are
seen flailing around needing someone but aren’t getting any help from their friends or even their family. It is
clear that each type of emotion helps or disturbs a person. There are different emotions that are seen every
day, so the question is whether every person who receives an emotion is going through something or not.
Sometimes, it is normal not to be okay. This shows that anyone can put on a “brave face” while still going
through internal trouble and interpersonal conflicts. It is very surprisingly how the book managed to be both
brimming with heartbreaks and hope at the same time. At one point, overcoming deep feelinfs is difficult
thing to do. Having a broader view of the situation, which can enable the majority of the viewers to have
a better understanding of a specific matter. Here in this world, God did not create anything that is numb
because we all can create emotions. Finch is afraid of a lot of things, including treatment, because he sees
mental illness as a label that follows him around for the rest of his life. He instead deals with his symptoms
on his own. He refers to them privately as the “Awake” and the “Asleep.” In his worst moments, he felt broken
and undeserving of love, and he was frequently uncomfortable in his own skin, trying on different looks and
personas.
CONCLUSION.

All the Bright Places is an amazing novel for a multitude of reasons, including its fast paced plot along with
its crushing relatability. I instantly fell in love with the characters and found that I learned so much about
mental health and how easy it is for anyone to put up a mask and no one to notice. This book does a great
job of showing the struggle of facing mental illness alone as well as showing how accepting help is the first
step towards overcoming, rather than a sign of weakness. All the Bright Places perfectly expresses the mind
of a teenager who has to face the rocky terrain that is adolescence, while bearing the additional unrelenting
weight of mental illnesses. The book importantly reminds the reader that help is available and there are
always going to be people willing to listen.

To sum everything up, I think the author wants the readers to know the meaning and value of life, of love
and hope. The author gives us a devastating story that is an inspiring but sensitive story. She also shows
the viewpoints between Finch and Violet that help us to fully understand their situation and discover their
challenges and trauma all throughout the story. The story may seem sensitive and heartbreaking but it has a
hope and happiness that gives the reader hope in life even though life is hard and full of challenges. It also
teaches us that depression or mental health issues should not be taken as a joke because we don’t know
what goes through the mind of someone who’s suffering with it, it may cause them some tragic trauma so
that we should be mindful and open-minded with that issue. I recommend it especially to the person who
loves telling stories through first person point of view and heartbreaking stories that give you a roller coaster
ride of emotions.

As individuals, we have our own ways on how to cope with the pain, sadness, and loss. We are allowed to
grieve as long as we want, as long as we need, and as long as it takes for us to regain our sanity. There is no
rush in healing and becoming better because there’s this narrative that says “pain should make us and not
break us”. I believe that pain and sadness makes life wonderful and exciting as well. It may be difficult and
breaking, but it is a tool in achieving and being the best version of ourselves, thus, we shouldn’t allow the
darkness to eat us and waste the life rendered to us because something great is waiting for us that is worth
all the suffering and pain. In the story, I’ve learned that there are people fighting the battles we don’t know,
therefore it is better if we always approach one another with kindness, empathy and understanding.
REFERENCES.

https://www.proquest.com/openview/e27b99ac6bf46ba8821d88e990040f11/1?pq
origsite=gscholar&cbl=296199

http://digilib.uinsby.ac.id/46271/

http://eprints.uty.ac.id/773/

http://etheses.uin-malang.ac.id/33626/

https://www.fullybookedonline.com/book-young-adult-all-the-bright-places-paperback-by-jennifer-niven.
html

https://www.sparknotes.com/lit/all-the-bright-places/summary/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_the_Bright_Places

LEADER:
CUNANAN, SEAN EDDWARD
MEMBERS:
BALMES, DARREN
MOJICA, JUSTINE GRENTH
BELLO, JOHN CARLO
CENTENO, RAFAEL
NIDUASA, ARCE
ALBA, CHARMAINE JOYCE
BAYBAY, KULIN RICCI
CIELO, ANDREA
ROMASANTA, KRIZHNA JOYCE
FLORDELIZ, FIONA LYNN

TEACHER:
MA’AM CRISTINE ATIENZA