The Bodyguard

Content Warning: This section features discussions of domestic violence.

In the final chapter of The Bodyguard, Hannah argues that “loving other people really does turn out, in the end, to be a genuine way of loving yourself” (471), which is a sentiment echoed throughout the novel once Jack and Hannah realize that they are both worthy of love. Yet at the beginning of the novel, Hannah has trouble recognizing this truth within herself and struggles with feelings of being unlovable, an issue she has had ever since her father left her family when she was seven years old. This inner conflict only intensified when her mother’s boyfriend started abusing her, after which Hannah later admits that she “didn’t feel safe anymore” (284). Though she does not recognize it at first, Hannah eventually realizes that her belief that she is unworthy of love prevents others from loving her, and both Robby and Taylor accuse her of not letting them close enough to form a more meaningful relationship with her. In a similar fashion, Jack also struggles with issues of intimacy, although his difficulties stem from the ongoing disparity between being loved for himself versus being loved for his public image.