Clay’s mom interrupts Clay several times while he listens to the tapes, usually to offer help, comfort, or food. Thanks to her persistence, Clay is at least subconsciously aware that she loves and cares for him—something Hannah doesn’t feel in her own life, partly because her mother is often distracted from caring for her. Clay’s mom’s concern for him is something he echoes in his concern for other people, particularly Skye, who he resolves to reach out to at the end of the novel.
Clay’s Mom Quotes in Thirteen Reasons Why
The Thirteen Reasons Why quotes below are all either spoken by Clay’s Mom or refer to Clay’s Mom. For each quote, you can also see the other characters and themes related to it (each theme is indicated by its own dot and icon, like this one:
).
Cassette 4: Side A
Quotes
“Did you order yet?”
I swivel around. Mom sits on the stool next to me and pulls out a menu. Beside her, on the counter, is Hannah’s shoebox.
“Are you staying?” I ask.
If she stays, we can talk. I don’t mind. It would be nice to free my thoughts for a while. To take a break.
Related Characters:
Clay’s Mom (speaker), Clay Jensen (speaker), Hannah Baker
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Get the entire Thirteen Reasons Why LitChart as a printable PDF.
Clay’s Mom Character Timeline in Thirteen Reasons Why
The timeline below shows where the character Clay’s Mom appears in Thirteen Reasons Why. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Cassette 1: Side A
...to the next person. She hopes neither of these things will be easy for them. Clay’s mom comes in and asks what he’s listening to. He scrambles to pause the tape and...
(full context)
Clay’s mom asks if she can listen to the tapes, but Clay says it’s not his project—he’s...
(full context)
As Clay listens to the tape, he pulls the map out of his backpack. Clay’s mom calls through the door to ask if he wants dinner. He says no—he’s heading to...
(full context)
Cassette 3: Side B
...sit and wait without ordering. As Clay listens to the tape, his phone rings: it’s Clay’s mom . When Clay answers, he finds he can’t speak. His mom asks if everything is...
(full context)
Cassette 4: Side A
Clay runs from the movie theater back to Rosie’s. He looks for Clay’s mom ’s car in the parking lot: it’s not there yet. He takes a breath and...
(full context)
Clay hears Clay’s mom ’s voice beside him: she’s brought the tapes. She asks where his friend is—weren’t they...
(full context)
Cassette 6: Side A
...Clay he has to go home; it’s getting late. As Clay says goodbye, he calls Clay’s mom and asks Tony to say hi. He tells his mom he’s still working on the...
(full context)
