Theodore FinchAccording to Violet, Finch is "a Bartlett legend" (2.47). "Everyone knows of him," she tells us. (Can you hear the awe in her voice?) Show
Some people hate him because he's weird and he gets into fights and gets kicked out of school and does what he wants. Some people worship him because he's weird and gets into fights and gets kicked of school and does what he wants. (2.47) Guess which group of people Violet falls into? Finch may come across as a lot of things—a rebel and a rocker among them—but what we see as readers is a scared high school senior with a lot on his plate. It's not that he's worried about girls, or graduation, or college, like some of the other kids his age. Finch has bigger fish to fry: a super dysfunctional family (including a violent father), some terrible bullying at school, and a raging case of bipolar disorder that is actively trying to kill him. He ain't your average high school boy. Death Doesn't Become HimThe most important thing to know about Finch is that even though he thinks about suicide all the time—we're talking breakfast, lunch, and dinner—he doesn't want to die. Through most of the book, we see him wage a war against his bipolar disorder. He tells us: I want to stay alive. I'm fighting to be here in this s***ty, messed-up world. (1.92) He also tells us, heartbreakingly, I'm most afraid of me. (32.13) Finch is afraid of a lot of things, actually, including treatment, because he considers mental illness a label that stays with you for life. Instead, he deals with his symptoms alone. He refers to them privately as the "Awake" and the "Asleep" (which are his manic and depressive episodes, respectively). When we meet Finch on the ledge of a sixth-story window, he had only recently woken up from a long period of the Asleep—and he'd do anything to keep it from happening again. Life (or Something Like It)Finch deals with his bipolar disorder as best he can. He runs almost every day, sometimes going as far as neighboring towns. He thwarts his own suicide attempts at least three times that we see. He even drags himself to a suicide support group. Despite his best efforts, though, Finch sometimes "hulks out." For someone who doesn't come across as a violent most of the time, he has some alarming tendencies. (Whether this stems from his father's abuse, his bipolar disorder, or both is hard to say.) When he's bullied by Roamer, Finch says he feels […] a familiar black grenade of anger—like an old friend—go off in [his] stomach, the thick, toxic smoke from it rising up and spreading through [his] chest. (3.28) That sounds awful, doesn't it? Well, it's also awful when he tries to drown and choke Roamer to death on two separate occasions. The Bright PlacesThere's a lot of gloom surrounding Finch, which is probably inevitable for a character who commits suicide. That said, he'll be remembered by Violet (and us, of course) for his good qualities. Finch himself had a hard time seeing those good qualities, though. In his worst moments, he felt broken and undeserving of love. Also, he often felt uncomfortable in his own skin, trying on different looks and personas (love you, '80s Finch) like he's in the dressing room at J Crew. Before he died, he asked himself: Which of the mes is me? There is only one me I've ever really liked, and he was good and awake as long as he could be. (49.2) The "me" he liked was the one we saw through most of the book—the guy who was funny enough to charm a girl when she's on a narrow window ledge. The guy who saw real beauty all around him when other people saw plain ol' Indiana. Despite his own problems, or maybe because of them, Finch was a gifted counselor, encouraging Violet to "get back on the camel" (as Mr. Black would say) after her sister's death (3.30). He was a talented musician and an endless source of creativity who inspired the people around him. He was selfless—the kind of guy who makes you dinner on his own birthday. And he was also hopeful, even though the world didn't give him much reason to be. When Netflix brought the young adult novel All the Bright Places to life with a film of the same name, it gave new and old fans the chance to see a realistic, if heartbreaking, teenage romance in the flesh. The story focuses on the struggles of Violet, who is trying to find her place in the world a year after her sister’s sudden death, and Finch, who is constantly looking for reasons to want to live. Article continues below advertisement Needless to say, they find purpose in each other and although the movie ends tragically, the story that unfolds between the teens is one full of new love and hopefulness. In the end, however, Finch’s own mental illness becomes part of his demise and, as if the film had been pushing him to it the entire time, his part of the story doesn’t end well.  Source: Netflix Article continues below advertisement There isn't anything inherently wrong with Finch in All the Bright Places, but it’s clear from the start of the movie that his story is one that is shrouded in details of his apparent mental illness. In fact, the movie as a whole does a solid job of expressing the reality of mental illness among young people and how kids can be suffering without everyone around them even realizing it. Although the movie doesn't come right out to explain Finch’s mental illness, it's clear that he is living with Bipolar Disorder, as his character did in the book. Finch’s description of being "asleep" and floating through different events in his life when he isn't "awake" is a clear analogy for experiencing the highs and lows someone with Bipolar Disorder might deal with. Unfortunately for Finch, his mental illness is part of what drives him to suicide in the end. Article continues below advertisement The 'All the Bright Places' book paints Finch's mental illness in a darker way.In the movie, Finch and Violet essentially save each other at different times. It’s their friendship and, eventually, their love which helps them work through their own emotions and issues. Because Finch is clearly dealing with mental illness, his relationship with Violet isn’t everything he needs, but it does save him for a little while. Article continues below advertisement The relationship is just as important in the All the Bright Places book, but Finch’s personality traits are even more emphasized in the novel. His obsession with death and different ways to die are more blatantly outlined in the book. And although he does commit suicide in the Netflix film, the book version of Finch struggles even more. Article continues below advertisement Will there be an 'All the Bright Places' sequel?The All the Bright Places book didn’t pave the way for a sequel and there still isn't word on a sequel book. But with the fast success of the Netflix movie, there is always the chance that there could still be a sequel to the film. If Netflix were to release a sequel, the movie could focus on Violet in the aftermath of Finch’s death and how she moves forward with her life after another huge loss. At the heart of the movie, Finch’s mental illness is a constant reminder that he isn't totally OK, even if he and Violet find common ground with each other. And it’s also a reminder about the reality of living with something you can’t control while navigating hormones and emotions that are already complicated enough. All the Bright Places is now streaming on Netflix. What condition did Finch have in all the bright places?[Spoilers ahead for those who have not read the novel.] The book opens with two high school students, Theodore Finch and Violet Markey, on the ledge of their school's bell tower, contemplating suicide. He struggles with bipolar disorder. She is grieving the death of her sister.
What illness does Finch have in the movie Finch?Since there is a high level of radiation in this post-apocalyptic world, Finch is also affected by it and is slowly dying due to radiation poisoning. Knowing he wouldn't be around for a long time, he builds the robot Jeff and feeds him with enough knowledge so that Jeff could take care of his beloved pet.
Does Finch have a disease?The movie doesn't label Finch's mental illness, but as the National Alliance on Mental Illness wrote about the novel, “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.
What mental illness does Violet have in all the bright places?But set that ukelele soundtrack and life-affirming plotline out of your mind, because this book digs far deeper into mental illness than you might expect. It goes deep into Finch's bipolar disorder, as well as exploring the crippling depression that Violet has felt as a result of her sister's death.
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Finch All the Bright Places disorder
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