Marcus is the sixth name on Hannah’s list. He first appears in the novel when he offers Clay a rock to throw at Tyler’s window, assuming Clay has listened to the tapes and thinks Tyler deserves to be singled out for his “creepiness.” Marcus’s decision to blame Tyler for Hannah’s death instead of seriously considering how his own actions hurt her demonstrates how guilt and fear can be used as fuel for destruction. By blaming Tyler, Marcus lets himself off the hook for touching Hannah without her consent, and in doing so, he plays a small part in allowing a culture of gender inequality and disrespect to continue. His abuse of Hannah is also the first moment that pushes her to consider suicide: once he takes away her power over her body, she feels as though her whole life has been taken out of her hands.
Marcus Cooley Quotes in Thirteen Reasons Why
The Thirteen Reasons Why quotes below are all either spoken by Marcus Cooley or refer to Marcus Cooley. 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:
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Cassette 3: Side A
Quotes
“And you?” I ask. “What did you do?”
For a moment, his eyes stare through me. Then he blinks.
“Nothing. It’s ridiculous,” he says. “I don’t belong on those tapes. Hannah just wanted an excuse to kill herself.”
I let the rock drop onto the sidewalk. It was either that or smash it in his face right there.
Related Characters:
Clay Jensen (speaker), Marcus Cooley (speaker), Tyler Down, Hannah Baker
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
Cassette 5: Side A
Quotes
How many times had I let myself connect with someone only to have it thrown back in my face?
Everything seemed good, but I knew it had the potential to be awful. Much, much more painful than the others.
Related Characters:
Hannah Baker (speaker), Clay Jensen, Marcus Cooley, Ryan Shaver, Justin Foley
Page Number and Citation:
Explanation and Analysis:
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Marcus Cooley Character Timeline in Thirteen Reasons Why
The timeline below shows where the character Marcus Cooley appears in Thirteen Reasons Why. The colored dots and icons indicate which themes are associated with that appearance.
Cassette 3: Side A
...voice shocks him by asking, “You want to throw something?” He spins around to see Marcus Cooley offering him a rock. Marcus tells Clay he’ll feel better if he throws the...
(full context)
Marcus puts the rock in Clay’s hands and tells him he’d be the first to say...
(full context)
Cassette 3: Side B
...she asks him for his name, but then she sees him standing outside the office: Marcus Cooley.
(full context)
Hannah knows that Marcus likes to tell jokes and goof around, so she doesn’t immediately trust him. She says...
(full context)
Hannah goes to Rosie’s to meet Marcus. Though she’s never been there before, she’s heard about it through stories: someone had their...
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Marcus assumed they’d both been joking about going to Rosie’s, but then he’d reconsidered and shown...
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...Hannah explains that she had tried to brush off all the events leading up to Marcus touching her at Rosie’s—being betrayed, having her reputation ruined, and having her privacy invaded. She...
(full context)
Cassette 4: Side A
...He takes a breath and heads into Rosie’s. The booth furthest back—where Hannah sat with Marcus—is occupied. Clay sits at the empty counter and looks at a menu. Nothing looks appealing...
(full context)
Hannah begins her story about Zach with the afternoon at Rosie’s. After Marcus leaves, Zach walks over to Hannah and sits down opposite her. Hannah ignores him, thinking...
(full context)
