Colin Jugo
NOVEMBER 20, 2023
Movie Poster of Dear Evan Hansen.
Photo from justwatch.com.
"Have you ever felt like nobody was there? Have you ever felt forgotten in the middle of nowhere?" Evan Hansen poses these questions in the song "You Will Be Found," one of the many poignant melodies featured in the musical and film adaptation of Dear Evan Hansen. Centered around high schooler Evan Hansen and his peers navigating the aftermath of student Connor Murphy's tragic death, the musical unravels the complexities of their senior year, as they grapple with personal struggles and emotions surrounding Connor's untimely demise. In essence, Dear Evan Hansen encapsulates the quintessential challenges faced by teenagers.
Typical Struggles of Teenagers
A quick Google search suggests that teenagers commonly grapple with anxiety, self-harm, social pressures, body image, bullying, mental and eating disorders, drug and alcohol abuse, sleep deprivation, low self-esteem, and academic problems. While not every teenager experiences the same tribulations, they all find themselves contending with life's difficulties. In Dear Evan Hansen, the characters express their feelings through songs that touch on various struggles, including anxiety, suicide, romance, and denial.
Anxiety
Anxiety by definition, is “a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, typically about an imminent event or something with an uncertain outcome.” The movie begins with the song Waving Through A Window, speaking of how Evan Hansen’s anxiety is holding him back from putting himself out into the world. In the film he looks from his bedroom window singing “On the outside, always looking in, will I ever be more than I’ve always been? Cause I’m tap, tap, tapping on the glass, I’m waving through a window” as he looks at the people passing by, indicating he wondered if he’d ever be someone people would want to be friends with.
Another song that speaks of anxiety is The Anonymous Ones. The song is about how there are so many people who want to be themselves but are afraid to be who they are. It was sung by Alana Beck, an A-grade student who kept her anxiety hidden. The line in the song “The anonymous ones stuck inside that perfect frame they’re faking”, shows how Alana hid that she had anxiety with the well-known fact she is a high achiever and socially active. She uses those traits to hide her own struggles and flaws, like a window that people could look at but not see through.
Ben Platt as Evan Hansen and Amandla Stenberg as Alana Beck in Dear Evan Hansen (2021).
Photo by Erika Doss, Universal Pictures.
Romance
A crucial aspect of a teenager's struggle often intertwines with the complexities of romance. While not every teenager grapples with romantic issues, those who do can find a poignant connection to the depth portrayed in the songs "If I Could Tell Her" and "Only Us" from the musical Dear Evan Hansen. Both pieces are sung by Evan Hansen, a character harboring a crush on Zoe Murphy, the sister of Connor.
In "If I Could Tell Her," Evan conveys his desire to express the admiration he feels for Zoe, grappling with feelings of unworthiness and uncertainty about reciprocation. As he engages in conversation with Zoe in the film, the lyrics echo his internal struggle, "If I could tell her how she’s everything to me, but we’re a million worlds apart, I don’t know how I’d even start." This mirrors the common teenage experience of low self-esteem, where individuals fear that their crushes may not share the same sentiments or deem them deserving.
Transitioning to "Only Us," the song captures the moment when Zoe and Evan candidly admit to reciprocating romantic feelings. Evan, expressing his emotions through the lyrics, including lines like "So I give you ten thousand reasons to not let me go. But if you really see me. If you like me for me and nothing else. Well, that's all that I've wanted for longer than you could possibly know," articulates the challenges and hopes tied to teenage crushes. Many teenagers resonate with the themes explored in this song, as the emotional turbulence induced by hormones and the journey of self-discovery intensify the experience of love to the point of being almost unbearable.
Self-harm
Self-harm and suicide loom as significant issues among teenagers, often stemming from the overwhelming weight of anxiety and a desire to find solace or escape from the challenges they face. In Dear Evan Hansen, Conner Murphy grapples with drug abuse, convinced that the world stands united against him. His untimely death leaves Zoe and his parents in a conflicted state of mourning, wrestling with anger and confusion over the abruptness of his suicide. This emotional turmoil is poignantly expressed in the song "Requiem," where Zoe questions the societal expectation to grieve conventionally and vents her frustration, singing, "Why should I play the grieving girl and lie? Saying that I miss you. And that my world has gone dark without your light? I will sing no requiem tonight."
In the movie, Evan stumbles upon a video of Connor singing a song he composed during a rehab center session titled "A Little Closer." This poignant composition delves into the experience of feeling down and hurt while conveying a powerful message of hope and the possibility of improvement. Lines such as "Well, today, today, What felt so far away feels a little closer. For today, today, today, Feels a little closer" beautifully encapsulates the resilience embedded in the journey toward healing.
Mike Faist as Connor Murphy and Ben Platt as Evan Hansen.
Promotional photo from Medium.com
Reflections on Struggles
Despite the struggles of anxiety, love, and dealing with suicide, no matter our age, we all struggle with the truth. In the song “Words Fail”, Evan reveals to Connor’s family how he has been lying to them the past few months; that he was never best friends with Connor, and that the letter they found with Connor was what Evan wrote to himself for therapy. Evan sang about how he never had that perfect family that they did and how welcomed he felt by their interest in him that no one else showed, singing “Words fail, words fail. There's nothing I can say. Except sometimes, you see everything you wanted. And sometimes, you see everything you wish you had, and it's right there- in front of you. And you want to believe it’s true, so you make it true.” The song shows teenagers that no matter how painful the truth of our struggles is, it’ll hurt us and others in the long run if we don’t confront them eventually.
It's easy to feel alone as a teenager struggling with these issues, but a song in Dear Evan Hansen that reminds us that we are not alone is “You Will Be Found.” This is sung by Evan on a stage, saying a speech that goes “Even when the dark comes crashing through. When you need a friend to carry you. And when you're broken on the ground, You will be found.” It’s a reminder that even in our darkest times when we feel lonely, we are not alone and can find comfort in the people we love.
The musical emphasized the importance of talking about these issues openly, fostering communication, seeking help without fear, and practicing acceptance. Dear Evan Hansen acts as a powerful advocate for spreading awareness about diverse struggles, conveying the crucial message that it's acceptable to undergo difficulties and that individuals are not alone. It sheds light on the depth of teenagers' emotions, the reality of their experiences, and the challenges parents and adults face in understanding and communicating with them.
While the songs highlighted in this article provide significant insights, the musical offers a broader perspective through its entirety. Whether through watching the movie, attending the musical, or streaming it on Spotify, the story of Evan and his classmates remains more relevant than ever. Dear Evan Hansen not only addresses the trials of teenagers but also illuminates the struggles of those in their lives, conveying the vital message that despite the feelings of isolation and hardship, there are others who share similar sentiments. Above all, it communicates the imperative message that everyone, no matter the circumstance, needs to hear: they are not alone.