James Coleman
Social Media, Mental Health, and Identity
The musical “Dear Evan Hansen” debuted in December 2016 and was an immediate hit on the Broadway stage and its fame soon spread around the world, even outside of the theater crowd. As the musical became more famous, the idea of writing a novel began to form. It was released in October 2018 by Val Emmich with input from Steven Levenson, Benj Pasek, and Justin Paul. and attempted to encapsulate the magic that was brought to life on Broadway. Books generally come before a movie or musical because they explain the characters, multiple story lines, and themes that tie a story together. In this case, the musical was performed first and therefore the novel had to attempt to put the live show on paper, and according to the many raving reviews, it succeeded. People speculate that it is so popular because it addresses issues such as the roles of social media, mental health, and identity, which many people can relate to.
The musical was cast in 2015 and first took to the stage in New York City. It follows the story of Evan Hansen, a high school senior who struggles with social anxiety, as he is inadvertently cast into the middle of the grieving Murphy family. Evan was told by his therapist to write encouraging, friendly, letters to himself and after Connor Murphy commits suicide, one of Evan’s letters is found on his person. Unbeknownst to everyone else, he had the letter because he stolen it from Evan earlier, but soon, due to social media, the event was blown out of proportion and everyone believed that the two had been best friends. This sparked a chain of events leading to the creation of a nonprofit group that went viral on the internet. Social media caused the misconception about what was actually going on and forced Evan to make a choice to not come clean about his lack of involvement in the original situation.
Throughout the musical and the novel, Evan deals with social anxiety. Social anxiety is defined as “the fear of being judged and evaluated negatively by other people, leading to feelings of inadequacy, inferiority, self-consciousness, embarrassment, humiliation, and depression.” Because of these feelings, Evan is not involved in many activities and does not have many friends. That changes when Connor’s story, and the non-profit organization associated with it, goes viral. Suddenly everyone knows Evan’s name and the he is able to use the fame to shed light on the issue of mental health. There are many types of mental ailments, and sadly they have a very negative connotation. People who struggle with mental illnesses are commonly considered to be weak or dramatic instead of sick. Dear Evan Hansen addresses this negative viewpoint directly and Evan reminds the readers that "[...] Today is going to be a good day, and here's why. [...] Because today, no matter what else, you're you. No hiding. No lying. Just you. And that's enough"(333).
The quote above also addresses the idea of identity. At the beginning of the novel and musical, Evan is unsure of who he is and why he is important. It takes the love of the Murphy family, of Zoe (their daughter), and finally the support from his mother to teach him that he has worth. There is a song in the musical that encapsulates the idea by saying “You will be found”. Evan finds out who he truly is throughout the plot of the novel, and even in the end, when he comes clean about the lie that he was friends with Connor, he still embraces his mistake which shows a development of character that was previously missing. The songs from the musical and the many inspiring quotes in the novel all remind the readers and viewers that being themselves is enough and they are unique and important in their own way.
The role of social media, mental illness, and identity are each addressed and explained in depth throughout the novel. The authors used Evan Hansen’s character to prove a point that people struggle, and it is normal. People appreciate these issues being addressed and that is part of why the musical and novel gained such a large fan base. Dear Evan Hansen sheds light on the “dark” struggles that plague this generation, and uses the themes discussed in the novel to prove that everyone has a battle that they are fighting within themselves and it may not be apparent on the outside.
The musical was cast in 2015 and first took to the stage in New York City. It follows the story of Evan Hansen, a high school senior who struggles with social anxiety, as he is inadvertently cast into the middle of the grieving Murphy family. Evan was told by his therapist to write encouraging, friendly, letters to himself and after Connor Murphy commits suicide, one of Evan’s letters is found on his person. Unbeknownst to everyone else, he had the letter because he stolen it from Evan earlier, but soon, due to social media, the event was blown out of proportion and everyone believed that the two had been best friends. This sparked a chain of events leading to the creation of a nonprofit group that went viral on the internet. Social media caused the misconception about what was actually going on and forced Evan to make a choice to not come clean about his lack of involvement in the original situation.
Throughout the musical and the novel, Evan deals with social anxiety. Social anxiety is defined as “the fear of being judged and evaluated negatively by other people, leading to feelings of inadequacy, inferiority, self-consciousness, embarrassment, humiliation, and depression.” Because of these feelings, Evan is not involved in many activities and does not have many friends. That changes when Connor’s story, and the non-profit organization associated with it, goes viral. Suddenly everyone knows Evan’s name and the he is able to use the fame to shed light on the issue of mental health. There are many types of mental ailments, and sadly they have a very negative connotation. People who struggle with mental illnesses are commonly considered to be weak or dramatic instead of sick. Dear Evan Hansen addresses this negative viewpoint directly and Evan reminds the readers that "[...] Today is going to be a good day, and here's why. [...] Because today, no matter what else, you're you. No hiding. No lying. Just you. And that's enough"(333).
The quote above also addresses the idea of identity. At the beginning of the novel and musical, Evan is unsure of who he is and why he is important. It takes the love of the Murphy family, of Zoe (their daughter), and finally the support from his mother to teach him that he has worth. There is a song in the musical that encapsulates the idea by saying “You will be found”. Evan finds out who he truly is throughout the plot of the novel, and even in the end, when he comes clean about the lie that he was friends with Connor, he still embraces his mistake which shows a development of character that was previously missing. The songs from the musical and the many inspiring quotes in the novel all remind the readers and viewers that being themselves is enough and they are unique and important in their own way.
The role of social media, mental illness, and identity are each addressed and explained in depth throughout the novel. The authors used Evan Hansen’s character to prove a point that people struggle, and it is normal. People appreciate these issues being addressed and that is part of why the musical and novel gained such a large fan base. Dear Evan Hansen sheds light on the “dark” struggles that plague this generation, and uses the themes discussed in the novel to prove that everyone has a battle that they are fighting within themselves and it may not be apparent on the outside.