“‘Oh, there he goes again, in one of his moods. Moody Finch. Angry Finch. Unpredictable Finch. Crazy Finch.’ But I’m not a compilation of symptoms. Not a casualty of bad parents and an even worse chemical makeup. Not a problem. Not a diagnosis. Not an illness. Not something to be rescued. I’m a person.” Show This passage is from the insightful young adult novel All the Bright Places, which brings together two teenagers experiencing the hardships of mental illness, suicidal thinking and grief. This is author Jennifer Niven’s first young adult novel; in it, she uses her personal experience as a survivor of suicide to spread awareness about what it’s like to live with mental illness. Using relatable characters, she paints a beautiful story of love and loss. Niven’s main character Theodore Finch asks himself, “Is today a good day to die?”—introducing suicide, the main theme of the book, in the very first line—as he stands on the ledge of a bell tower at his high school. Niven then introduces Violet Markey, who also finds herself on top of the looming bell tower, though she doesn’t fully understand how she got there. And so begins Finch and Violet’s ominous love story. Throughout the book, Niven emphasizes how someone going through mental health challenges can believe that suicide is a reasonable solution to their condition. Finch regularly considers all the different ways he could end his life, logging them with a list of pros and cons. Finch’s ideations are revealed mainly to the reader, but occasionally to other characters. Readers can see that what Finch is going through is bipolar disorder even though “depression” and “mania” are never mentioned, and he doesn’t receive his diagnosis until well into the book. Instead, Niven uses terms like “Awake,” “Long Drop” and “Asleep” to describe the cycles of his mood. As his “Long Drop” nears closer, tension builds around Finch’s frame of mind. But while he considers ending his life, he simultaneously teaches the grief-stricken Violet how to live hers. Violet never receives any diagnosis throughout the book, but it is implied that she may be experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after being in a car accident that killed her older sister. She stops trying in almost every aspect of her life and isolates herself from people she used to spend time with. She refuses to be in a moving car, has consistent nightmares and can’t get herself to write—a once-favorite activity she used to share with her sister. Finch encourages Violet to ride in a car again, to go to new places and write again. Without Finch, Violet may have taken years to fully live her life again. On the other hand, Finch’s condition only worsens with time, even as his love for Violet helps him experience “all the colors in full brightness.” These two teenagers have more to grapple with than typical drama and nightly homework that plague everyone during the high school years. They have symptoms, stigma and the question of why life is worth living to contend with and Niven manages to showcase just how difficult mental illness is, especially during adolescence when mental health conditions often onset. The book concludes in a way that makes readers understand that when you live with mental illness, sometimes you have happy endings and sometimes you don’t. Laura Greenstein is communications coordinator at NAMI.  SAGISAG Violet Markey and Theodore Finch pictured left, and right features the book cover.
The seemingly unanimous opinion between readers is that most books are better than their film adaptation counterparts. Take the Percy Jackson Series, one of the most disliked movie adaptations of my generation. Of course, there are plenty of exceptions because sometimes the film modifications are insanely better than their literate equivalent including Mean Girls, The Shawshank Redemption, and Silence of the Lambs. Factor in the opinion that some Netflix produced films are terrible compared to other film studio productions, and you get me staring at my TV, wondering if All The Bright Places is worth the watch. As a kid who grew up rarely watching movies, I could get through a 400-page book within two or three days. So I read almost every teen/young adult novel I could at the time. I was a kid who would rather have her nose stuck in a book instead of watching a movie. Depending on how invested I was with the book. All The Bright Places was only about 388 pages The All The Bright Places–ATBP for short– movie adaption begins with the two main characters meeting in a similar way as they had in the book. Of course, it was in a different place. Rather than being the Bell Tower at their high school, it is at the bridge Violet Markey’s sister died via car crash. Small indifferences like this bother me less than completely altered scenes, although the Bell Tower scene at the beginning of the book makes for a better opening. ATBP is based around Violet Markey and Theodore Finch working together on a project for one of their classes. They are meant to find and write about the great wonders, or ‘wanderings’ of their small town in Indiana. Violet, played by Elle Fanning, has a fear of cars due to her sister’s death nine months earlier. Theodore, who goes by Finch and is portrayed by actor Justice Smith, finally convinces Violet to drive to a wandering that is over a hundred miles away. This is truly the beginning of Violet and Finch’s relationship, as she recollects being in the car during the crash. It is not stated that Violet has Post Traumatic Stress Disorder after the crash, but the subtle hints show she is at least suffering from some form of stress due to the incident. A main plot point within the movie and book is dealing with mental illness. Violet suffers from PTSD, while Finch deals with Bipolar Depression. He goes through periods of being “awake”, where he spends days in manic episodes. The film ending is filled with heartbreak and is pretty much on the same emotional level as the novel’s ending. Overall, All The Bright Places is a pretty decent film adaption to the book. Personally, I would suggest reading the book before watching the movie, but if that is not something you enjoy doing then the film is a good counterpart. What mental illness does Violet have in All the Bright Places?Violet never receives any diagnosis throughout the book, but it is implied that she may be experiencing Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) after being in a car accident that killed her older sister. She stops trying in almost every aspect of her life and isolates herself from people she used to spend time with.
Is Violet depressed in All the Bright Places?Violet is presumed to have depression and suicidal thoughts, while Finch's bipolar disorder, which was clearly identified in the book, isn't noted at all. In the novel, Finch's disorder was undiagnosed but shown through mood swings and his attendance of a support group for having suicidal thoughts.
What happened to Violet in All the Bright Places?After Finch's death, Violet graduates high school and continues to work on her web magazine. She's sad, but she's still living her life. In the final chapter, Violet goes swimming in the Blue Hole. She feels a sort of peace, and looks toward the future with a glimmer of hope.
What mental disorder does Theodore Finch have?The study shows that the main character named Theodore Finch experience of bipolar disorder with manic and depressive period as the character. The researcher also found the cause of bipolar disorder in novel through story and characterization.
|
Does Violet have PTSD All the Bright Places?
Copyright © 2024 SignalDuo Inc.
