All The Bright Places

The Bell Tower is a six-story edifice on the grounds of Bartlett High School. It is the location where Finch and Violet meet and provides the impetus for their relationship. As the book opens, Theodore Finch is standing on the four-inch-wide ledge outside the railing of the structure. He recalls that he has just been “Awake,” or not disabled by crippling depression that renders him unable to get out of bed, for six days. Nonetheless, he is contemplating leaping off the tower. He notes that he asks himself daily whether “today is a good day to die?” (4). 

Finch is startled when he realizes that he is not alone on the ledge. He recognizes Violet Markey, a popular cheerleader in his senior class, who is also out on the ledge. She seems to be frozen in place. He talks to her calmly, using humor (e.g., “Come here often?”) and guides her back to safety inside the railing. Subsequently, he hears her voice giving him the same calm instructions to get off the ledge. Thus, their story begins. 

Eighteen-year-old Kate is the oldest of the Finch children. Since their parents’ divorce the preceding year, she has effectively assumed most parental duties in the household. Linda Finch, their mother, is a well-intentioned, but overwhelmed, woman who is unable to deal with the emotional repercussions of her divorce and the complexities of parenting. 

The physical manifestation of Linda’s inability to manage her family are the casseroles that Kate prepares and freezes at the beginning of each week. While Kate usually goes out in the evening, she always reminds her mother to listen for the sound of the oven timer going off so that she will have a meal to feed herself, Theodore and Decca. This is symbolic of the parental role that Kate serves in the household. Linda’s apparent fragility also renders Theodore unable to reveal the extent of his symptoms to her.

In an effort to pay homage to her late sister, Eleanor, Violet mimics her sister’s hairstyle, which is not flattering to Violet. Additionally, Violet wears Eleanor’s oversized eyeglasses, which detract from her appearance. They also contain prescription lenses that cause Violet to see only blurry images, but she wears them to assuage her guilt. Violet feels responsible for her sister’s death, having told Eleanor to take a route over a bridge that she did not realize was icy. Eleanor spun out, hit a culvert, and died immediately, but Violet survived. The glasses give Violet a hazy view of the world, perhaps indicating Violet’s inability to see clearly after her sister’s death. One of the indications that Violet will survive her grief occurs when she removes the glasses and returns then to her late sister’s bedroom.