A LITERARY ANALYSIS

In Partial Fulfillment in the Requirements for the Course EL 111

Children and Adolescent Literature

Submitted by:
CYNTHIA M. LORIA
BSED 2E English

Submitted to:
DR. ELVIE LYKA LUMANAO-DURAN
Instructor III
I. Historical Background
All the Bright Places falls under the category of young adult fiction, a 2015 novel
by Jennifer Niven. It was published on January 6, 2015 by Knopf Publishing Group. The
novel gained the Goodreads Choice Award for Young Adult fiction on 2015.
The story is a narrative of two teenagers named Theodore and Violet who met
each other on the school's bell tower. They were both dreadfully wanted to escape from
their place and their own silent battles. The writer’s narrative grows as they travel to
Indiana. The novel expresses complex themes of human nature and mental illness and
intertwines in the ideas of trauma.
The story was taken from her own experience in love. She recalled how she
loved someone a long time ago but it resulted to something that changed the way she
sees life.

II. Authorship
Name: Jennifer Niven
Born: May 14, 1968
Place of Birth: Charlotte, North Carolina, United States
Jennifer Niven marked her first screenplay in 1995. The screenplay was turned
into a short film and won an award. Niven has written two historical nonfiction books and
historical fiction for adults. All the Bright Places was released in 2015 and it was her first
novel for teenagers which resulted to positive reviews. Aside from being a New York
Times bestseller, it also garnered a Best Book of the Year by Time magazine.

III. Characters/Characterization
Violet Markey – She is one of the main characters of All the Bright Places. She used to
be one of the most well know girls in school since she was a cheerleader and dated the
star baseball player. She has a passion for writing. But things suddenly changed when
she had a tragic car accident and her sister died. She was not anymore the famous
cheerleader and writer who she used to be.
Theodore Finch - Finch is also the other main character in this novel. He is known as a
rebel, outcast, rocker and sometimes even called a freak. But, in reality, he is scared
and trouble because has a disorder or a mental illness called Bi Polar disorder. He also
has a hard time at home because his mother is oblivious and his father is abusive
father. He usually anticipates suicide, writes about facts about death and killing himself.
Aside from his disorder, he is a creative and a talented man. He knows how to plays
music and appreciates the beauty in things which people tend to ignore.
Eleanor Markey – The elder sister of Violet who died in a car accident. Violet
remembers her as a funny, smart person and will forever be her best friend.
Amanda Monk – She is Violet’s cherished friend from before the car accident
happened. She might seem to be fun loving and happy, but one time Finch saw her at a
suicide group and witnessed her disguise.
Ryan Cross - The star baseball player. Also, he is Violet’ ex-boyfriend.
Mr. Embry – The school guidance counselor of Finch. He is the only one who knows
about Finch’s mental illness and still cares about him. He reaches out to Finch about
improving himself to be okay.
Mr. and Mrs. Markey – The parents of Violet who are strong and nice. In the end of the
book, Violet tells them about how they need to mourn openly together and then they all
agreed.

IV. Synopsis
All the Bright Places is a fascinating story about a girl named Violet who learns to
continue living from a boy named Finch who anticipates to die.
Theodore Finch is captivated by death. He constantly ponders of possible ways
he could kill himself. But every time he attempts, something good halts him. Violet
Markey looks forward for the days ahead. She was looking forward and counting the
days until graduation so that she can escape her town and run away her painful grief in
her sister's recent death.
When Finch and Violet met on bell tower in their school, it's uncertain who saves
whom. Also, they were unexpectedly paired up on a school project to witness the
'natural wonders' of their place. They had a great time together and Finch realized that it
is only with Violet that can be himself. Weird, funny, live-out-loud guy who's definitely
not a freak. It is only with Finch that Violet cannot think about counting away the days
and start living them. But the sad thing is, when Violet's world nurtures, Finch's life
starts to shrink.

V. Literary Critical Analysis

Theodore Finch is obsessed with the idea of death and Violet Markey aches with
grief because of the death of her sister. One day, their worlds collide in the school’s bell
tower in which the boy known as the freak saves the popular girl. They were paired on a
school project to unfold the natural wonders of their state. But before the assignment is
over, they learned more about each other, what they’re both capable of doing, and how
much love can take away the pain and how it can do to stop the unescapable.
This is a splendid contemporary novel. The story is expressed through Finch and
Violet's alternating perspectives which makes the touching tale to life charmingly. This is
a story filled with unique twists and engaging detailed characters. I am amazed of the
idea of the plot. The writing style of All the Bright Places is bizarre. The characters are
shown in a detailed way through straight forward description as well as how they
communicate and act. There is some beautiful imagery and a number of wonderful
quotes such as "You are all the colors at once, at full brightness."
The romance in All the Bright Places is used cautiously and it is appealing rather
than vulgar which makes it nicer. This novel also delivers an important message. It
incorporates timely themes such as the importance of mental health to avoid suicide.
Furthermore, the book itself is stunning. The published cover has that unusual design of
the sticky notes, and the inside has the violet + finch concept variating fonts which
symbolizes different perspectives.
To sum it all up, All the Bright Places is a marvelous novel that opens your eyes
to the reality of life. Most of the time, we tend to keep what we really feel all to ourselves
because we are too scared that people whom we open up to won’t understand us. The
two main characters are incredibly detailed and the plot is unique and interesting. To
me, All the Bright Places is all the books at once, at full brightness.
Setting and Context
The events of the novel take place in a fictional town called Bartlett, Indiana.
Violet and Finch were assigned to work on a project to witness the wonders of the state.
For Violet, this adventure is a process of coming back to her true self while for Finch,
this project becomes his last wandering.
Tone and Mood
The mood is uneasy and the tone shifts from sarcastic, sad, angry, desperate
and finally hopeful.
Protagonist and Antagonist
Theodore Finch and Violet Marky are the protagonists. Another factor is the
society’s indifference in general or the social stigma attached to mental health.
Conflict
The conflict is person vs. self. Theodore Finch battles to continue looking for
reasons to live. Violet battles with her own silent struggles with fear and guilt.
Foreshadowing
“Is today a good day to die?” This question foreshadows how the novel is going
to end and “Just be careful” infers that there is an end to everything. It foreshadows that
not even his connection with Violet can save him from his own demons.
Paradox
When I woke up, I felt lifeless than ever.
Parallelism
Must go here. Must go there. Here. There. Back and forth, but nowhere new or
outside those three or even four miles.
VI. Philosophy
Violet encounters Finch on top of the school bell tower. He is on the other side of
the fence. She manages to convince him to get to the right side and whenever he
denies it, everyone has decided that the freak Theodore tried to commit suicide. Finch
asks to go with Violet on their project in Humanities where they wander their town.
Violet slowly recovered from her sister's death. Her life is going up while Finch's life is
going the other way around.
The book is cleverly written. The ending is such a breath-taker as well. It is
incredible. This book deals with the issue regarding mental health and suicide in a
sensitive way. The story is actually inspired by one that Jennifer knows herself in real
life.

VII – Devices Used

In this book, the literary devices used are simile and personification,
foreshadowing, parallelism and paradox.

References

Niven, Jennifer (2016). All the Bright Places. Random House USA
https://www.bulbapp.com/u/novel-analysis-all-the-bright-places-jennifer-niven~1
Townsend, Alex (2015). Review: All the Bright Places by Jennifer Niven
https://disabilityinkidlit.com/2015/01/16/alex-townsend-reviews-all-the-bright-
places/