Thirteen Reasons Why|青少年的忧愁与哀伤：《汉纳的遗言》

by Leigh Goldberg

Little do we know that our actions,

no matter how insignificant, affect others.

Sticks and stones may break bones, but names will never hurt. That's what we were taught as kids whenever anyone said anything bad about us. Truth be told, words do hurt. No teenager wants to be known as the teacher's pet because he or she will be made fun of endlessly outside of class. What if you were voted as having the best ass in the freshman class? It may seem like a compliment, but it actually carries with it a lot more damage than you would expect.

Sixteen-year-old Hannah Baker has to deal with just that in the novel, Thirteen Reasons Why. Unfortunately, it doesn't end happily for Hannah, who chooses to take her own life. Even so, 13 people haven't heard the end of it from Baker herself. Prior to committing suicide, Baker makes 13 recordings on seven cassette tapes. Each one is directed at a person whose actions have contributed to her death.

Included on this list is Clay Jensen, one of Hannah's fellow classmates. It's from his perspective, actions, and reactions mixed with Baker's taped voice that we find out what pushed her over the edge. Just like the others on the list, Jensen has no choice but to listen to all the tapes before passing them on in chain-letter style to the person following him in Baker's narration. If he doesn't, another set of tapes will be released to the entire student body, leading to public embarrassment for some and possible arrest for others. Thirteen Reasons Why clearly shows how what we do and say impacts other people's lives, and not always for the good.

1.  Why would a student NOT want to be known as a teacher's pet?

(A) A teacher's pet has to tell jokes all the time.

(B) A teacher's pet can never be late for class.

(C) Usually, no one likes to take care of pets at school.

(D) When they are not in class, other students will tease them.

2.  What is true of Baker in Thirteen Reasons Why?

(A) She is Jensen's 13th victim.

(B) She was murdered by 13 of her classmates.

(C) She reveals why she did what she did.

(D) She goes crazy and kills her teacher and 12 other classmates.

3.  What will happen if Jensen breaks the chain letter?

(A) A letter about the truth will be sent to the school principal.

(B) Everything on the tapes will be made public.

(C) The people following him will be punished.

(D) Thirteen people will be arrested and charged with a crime.

青少年的忧愁与哀伤：《汉纳的遗言》

不论我们的行为多微不足道，都会对他人造成影响。

　　棍棒和石头或许会打碎我的骨头，但难听的话决不会伤我一分一毫。这是我们小时候，别人说我们坏话时所被教导的概念。但老实说，这些话确实会伤人。没有一位青少年想被冠上老师宠儿的称号，因为他们在课堂外会不断被别人嘲笑。如果你被票选为新生中拥有最美的臀部，你会做何感想？这看似种称赞，但实际上却比你预期的还带有杀伤力。

　　在《汉纳的遗言》这本小说中，16岁的汉纳‧贝克就必须面对上述的问题。不幸的是，汉纳的结局并不是以喜剧收场，因为她选择结束自己的生命。即使如此，有 13 个人汉纳跟他们还没完没了。在自杀前，汉纳录了 7 卷录音带，共有 13 段录音。每段录音都是指名给那些造成她死亡的人。

　　汉纳的同学克莱‧约翰逊也是名单上其中一人。透过他的观点、行为和反应，再加上汉纳录音带里的声音，读者可以发现究竟是什么事把她逼到绝境。如同录音带名单上的其他人，约翰逊不得不听完所有的录音带，再把它们像是连锁信般传给汉纳口述中的下一个人。如果他不这么做，另一组录音带将会公布给全校所有学生，造成某些人在大众面前无地自容，甚至可能有人因此遭到逮捕。《汉纳的遗言》清楚地说明我们的言行举止是如何影响他人，而且这些影响并非总是正面的。

答案：1. (D)2. (C)3. (B)

《汉纳的遗言》自 2007 年出版后，在全美校园及文化教育圈内引爆话题，感动无数学生，并获颁多项文学奖项。本书创作的灵感，来自于作者杰伊．艾夏一次参访博物馆的经验。他使用一种随身语音导览设备，从耳机里听到 1 个女人讲话的声音，而那个声音所描述的，正是他眼前所看到的景象──看不到人，却听得到声音，感觉那个人彷佛无所不在。

在国外官方网站上，有提供汉纳所有录音带的影片，有兴趣的读者可至以下连结：

http://www.thirteenreasonswhy.com/tapes.php