Life is a purpose, waiting to be fulfilled. The paper intends to take into account the lives of the protagonists of the fault in our stars to infer the meaning and true purpose of life.
Why does one exist? Is one the creator or the acceptor of life? Is death a part or peril to life? Do choices define people? The paper further talks about how the book interprets and answers the aforementioned questions using a variety of tools.
"The purpose of mortality is to teach you, not to suffer and die, but to enjoy yourself and live"(Ayn Rand, brainyquote.com). Ayn Rand has, with the use of a simple English sentence, defined the purpose of existentialism. The protagonists of the book, written by John Green, The Fault In Our Stars, have exemplified this
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It gives the reader a myriad of lessons in life. To summarise one of the main themes of the book, it could be said that "The beauty of living does not lie in the number of days, hours, months or years you have left, but rather in what you chose to do with that amount of time"(Academia. edu/8055205, para 1). The protagonists, despite having different views and ideals on existentialism, had actually lived life, the way it’s supposed to be lived. Augustus Waters, In a simple line, describes his way of life as "I'm on a roller coaster that only goes up".(Green, pg 12-13)
"When the purpose of life is fulfilled, death seems a part of life, not a peril to it". Both the protagonists deal with death in different ways.
Augustus accepts death as a part of his life. He believes that cancer is a part of him, which it even scientifically is. His experience of his ex-girlfriend, Caroline's death, made him more acquainted and less afraid of the concept of death(Green, page 190) He, however, feared oblivion(Green, page 14). His only quandary regarding death is whether he would be remembered or not(Green, page 144) Augustus indeed realized that he was uniquely different. His biggest flaw and biggest strength were the fact that he wishes to make his mark on the universe. He did not, however, realize, that people do make a mark on this world, but it slowly fades
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She only cared about how her death might affect the people she loved (Green, Page 162)Love is the greatest strength and weakness of all humans. Hazel feared her Cancer , as if it were some other being (Green, page 1-2). She did not realize that dying is a side effect of cancer, and depression is a side effect of living with the certainty of death.
"You cannot choose who you were born, But you can choose what you can choose" Choices define people, choices make up the person's essence, choices make people unique. What made Hazel and Augustus different from most other people with a terminal disease were the choices they made. They understood what the world is, It is not a “wish- granting factory” but a stable entity where people come and go (Green, page 14) The world cannot be changed, but the way the world is viewed could be.
Augustus was proud of his choices regarding Hazel(Green, page 314). He realizes that even the word "forever" has a time period. John Green leaves Augustus' life open-ended. Augustus did and did not fear death. He knew his cancer would kill him, but he also knew that death is what makes up life. This was a major factor in influencing his choices. The certainty of death makes people do what they wish to do, and live life the way it is supposed to
... seeing and feeling it’s renewed sense of spring due to all the work she has done, she was not renewed, there she lies died and reader’s find the child basking in her last act of domestication. “Look, Mommy is sleeping, said the boy. She’s tired from doing all out things again. He dawdled in a stream of the last sun for that day and watched his father roll tenderly back her eyelids, lay his ear softly to her breast, test the delicate bones of her wrist. The father put down his face into her fresh-washed hair” (Meyer 43). They both choose death for the life style that they could no longer endure. They both could not look forward to another day leading the life they did not desire and felt that they could not change. The duration of their lifestyles was so pain-staking long and routine they could only seek the option death for their ultimate change of lifestyle.
...ceptible, and the skin of his cheeks hung so loosely as to prevent his masticating any food, or even swallowing any liquid, without great difficulty…. About twelve o'clock he expired in strong convulsions, and without having spoken for several hours."(Poe, 342-343). Because he was the savior, Augustus gave his own life in order to restore the balance and order of the world.
Initially, Hazel and Augustus do not know how to show their affection for each other but they learn that they are destined to be together. However, they believe that friendships are essentially based on honesty. In the book The Fault In Our Stars, John Green helps prove that young cancer patients, can and will make it through their journey and in the end they will get to experience the bright future they have always dreamed of. It is very important for patients of any age, to get what they need in order to live a typical and happy lifestyle. People coping with an illness should stay strong and appreciate the things that they are given. There should be no reason to look at the past, just look forward to the good moments that are coming your way. After all, everyone deserves a chance in a long life time, so why not live everyday likes it’s your
At the end of the book when Augustus dies, Hazel has to realize that life must go on. She feels like she was robbed of her one true love. Even though what she feels is incredibly painful, she is there to support Augustus’s family. She realizes that she is not the only one hurting, even though she lost the love of her life.
When was the last time you felt certain of your impending future? For cancer survivor, Hazel, the answer is never. In The Fault in Our Stars, sixteen year old Hazel lives with cancer and attends a support group where she meets Augustus, another young cancer survivor who changes her outlook on the world forever. He takes Hazel on an adventure of love, friendship, and pain, and together they yearn to have authority over their uncontrollable fates. Isaac, a blind teenager, and Hazel’s mom also play significant roles in her life. Similarly, in Of Mice and Men, George and Lennie strengthen their friendship through love and suffering, and they learn that humans have some control over their end destination. At the ranch they work at, Lennie and George have to choose how they want their lives to turn out, which directly impacts the choices they will make regarding the future. While John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars and John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men both establish motifs of friendship, games, and hands, they convey different universal ideas about humanity. In particular, Green suggests that humans cannot always manipulate every situation, while Steinbeck focuses on the ideas that men often have a choice in their destinies.
The quote suggests that unfortunate events happen not because of destiny but because of the fault in characters. The three main teenage characters in this book suffer from a fate, which has in no way been caused by their actions but rather their destiny. Unlike the other characters Augustus fights to not let his destiny impact his choices, he strives to be seen as more than his illness. Augustus goes through the same struggles as any normal teenager and also the struggles of a cancer patient. Though his fate won the battle, till his death he fought being defined by his illness.
Within "The Story of An Hour", Chopin talks about death and illustrates the significance of it. This story implies that death may actually be a blessing under certain circumstances. The narration begins with Louise gets informed that her husband had passed away in an accident. She's no ordinary women, but someone with heart disease. It leads the reader into thinking that she would be in great pain, suffering from the loss of her other half. Surprisingly, Louise's reaction was the exact opposite with her feeling a sense of comfort, but why? In exchange of her husband, she had gained freedom. The feeling of joy was being suppressed holding it down with her own will. Now that Louise is independent,...
Death has a way of changing people, whether it is the passing of someone close to you or coming to terms with your own mortality, no one remains the same after dealing with death. Some people mourn in the face or death, while others are re-born and enlightened. In the novel The Fault In Our Stars by John Green, we are introduced to two adolescents that have faced death and gained different perspectives on life after doing so. When facing death, whether you’re own or someone you love, there are two types of reactions, two types of people, the “Augustus’s” and the “Hazel Grace’s”. After losing his leg, Augustus Waters decided that he wanted to make his mark on the world before he died, he was terrified of dying and feared oblivion more than anything but it was that very fear that compelled him to live the most fulfilling life possible, “I decided long ago not to deny myself the simpler pleasures of existence”(Green 11). Instead of wallowing in misery over having cancer, Gus wanted to enjoy life; he found beauty in everything, especially Hazel Grace. He lived his life through metaphors; he revolved many of his beliefs and actions around metaphors, one of his favorites was, “you put the killing thing in your mouth, but you don’t give it the power to kill you”(Green 13). I think he liked this metaphor and having a cigarette dangle between his lips so much, because unlike his cancer, which he had no control over, he could control whether or not he lit the cigarette. It made him feel like his destiny was in his own hands and under his control. Gus’s experience with death made him a more positive person, a “better” and inspirational person; he wanted to “drink stars” and live his life questioning everything. “While...
the audience that life is joyous whilst death is full of turmoil and hardships. The final line states “that
“I don't want to survive. I want to live.” This fairly popular quote can also serve as a summary of Gabriel Conroy’s character in James Joyce’s short story “The Dead." As we read, we see the toll that monotony has taken on Gabriel and, by the end, he sees it as well. This realization is coupled with another, much darker, realization: the inevitability of death. We see signs of these ideas sprinkled throughout the story, from the predictability of the guests to Gabriel’s constant anxiety when talking to the other guests and his long for an escape. These occurrences come to a head when, upon reaching their hotel, Gabriel’s wife Gretta tells him of the boy who didn’t want to live without her, and who died to see her. This story leaves Gabriel with a sudden understanding of love, life, and death, that changes his way of thinking about everyone, including himself.
Greater levels of unfolding will be revealed in retrospect to life and death and how the two cannot share the same space, or simultaneously exist as one. Furthermore, in relation to the principle of dying the death, a revelation is found by sharing the mind of God unto you. As we know, life and death ca...
Existentialism is the epitome of the unknown. There is no straightforward explanation of what exactly it is, there is only certain characteristics and behaviors that describe existentialist views. Throughout today’s world, there are examples of it everywhere, it’s found in movies, books, songs, and just people in general. Existentialists are known to think and do for themselves only. They believe that to understand what it means to be human requires understanding of themselves first. Some very well known pieces of entertainment existentialism is found in are: Hamlet by William Shakespeare, The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka, “The Yellow Wallpaper” by Charlotte Perkins Gilman, The Stranger by Albert Camus, and The Breakfast Club by John Hughes. The Stranger is a book written about a young man whose mother dies, which soon leads him to becoming acquainted with the feeling of not caring about what his actions do to others or himself. The main character Meursault starts helping his friend Raymond, carry out ways to torment his mistress. Out of nowhere while at the beach, Meursault shoots Raymond’s mistress’s brother. He is thrown into jail and tried, but he seems to not be affected as much as he should about his actions. He first finds it hard to live without cigarettes, women, and nature, but he soon finds out he doesn’t need any of those. After being sentenced to death, he is suggested to turn away from his atheism but later realizes that human existence has no greater meaning. This realization and acceptance is what truly makes him happy (Camus). Next, The Breakfast Club is a very relatable movie about high school students suffering the consequences of their actions in detention. The kids are all of ...
...n remind us of ourselfs, and how we often try and fail. We see him lose his dear wife and continue warily onward. His only impetus seeming to be the love he feel towards his country. "Not that I loved Caesar less, but that I loved Rome more." (948). In the end he has not only lost many companions, but he has lost his quintessent name. This will cause him to be judged forevermore, by many generations, and the realization that he has lost his good name is the culminating force that pushes him to end his life.
Davies-Stofka, Beth. "Human Nature and the Purpose of Existence." Patheos Library. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Oct. 2013. .
Death is a central focus of conversation that individuals and society discuss when analyzing the meaning of life. It is an aspect of life that everyone at some point must become acquainted with. There is one thing that every living thing can be sure of: “I will eventually die.” This paper will examine a number of issues that can arise once an individual reflects on their own mortality.