The gripping novel “The Fault in our Stars” by John Green includes the idea of mortality, which sweeps through the book as a major theme. The love between Hazel Grace and Augustus Waters is so powerful and intense that Hazel moves her whole thought of mortality aside to be with Augustus. The novel begins with a girl (Hazel) who has terminal cancer. She goes to a support group to meet with other cancer kids, when one day she meets a new boy, Augustus and as soon as they catch each other’s eyes the connection begins. They share a flirtatious friendship where they share their love for stories and both read the book Imperial Affliction. They travel to Amsterdam to meet the author to try and get the answers to the ending of the book they adore, however they are extremely disappointed when he turns out to be rude and abrasive towards them. After meeting with the author they once idolised, they engage in physical relations and the relationship grows. In a horrible twist of heart-breaking fate, Augustus passes away and the book ends the same way Imperial Affliction did. We are left asking the same questions but in different characters with this book. That is just one example of John Green’s style of artistic literacy.
The opening of the book is Hazel giving the reader an incite into the impact that cancer has on her life. As a reader, you begin to realise how much cancer could affect your life; it can bring depression, tragedies and loneliness. This changes the day Hazel meets Augustus. She always considers others before herself and never tries to hurt anyone, but still manages to have a quirky outlook on life. When she goes to the support group, she noticed a boy staring at her. As soon as she sees him, Hazel begins to feel self-conscio...
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...the difficulty of cancer. They show that cancer doesn’t have to stop you from doing things that you desire. They broke through the chains and unpicked the lock that was stopping them from having a fulfilling life. They showed their extreme care by the epilogue that Hazel did, and that Augustus’s last dying request was for Hazel. Their kind-hearted spirits came across with their whimsical small talk. The passion that they shared in Amsterdam shows just how much they wanted each other. Although cancer did sadly have an end to their relationship as Augustus’s life comes to an end and Hazel is left alone. This is a good way to end it, because it is like life, there isn’t always a happy ending. John Green’s endearing and thoughtful book opens your eyes into the hardship of cancer and how the unique characters (Augustus and Hazel) share their love and their complexities.
The reader is first introduced to Francie when she is at the age of eleven. Francie is an average, normal girl growing up in Brooklyn in the year 1912. She doesn't have many friends and her family doesn't have much money, however she enjoys reading and is constantly finding ways to amuse herself. Being as young and innocent as she is, life seems nearly perfect for Francie. Eventually though, Francie realizes that this isn't the case and, in a sense, looses a bit of her innocence.
... loss of loved ones like Junior in The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian and Andi in Revolution or faced your own inevitable passing like Hazel Grace in The Fault in Our Stars, you are not alone. In confronting and facing death, these characters learn that death is merely a small part of living. It is an element of the human experience. To return to the wise words of the late Steve Jobs, “Almost everything – all external expectations, all pride, all fear of embarrassment or failure- these things just fall away in the face of death, leaving only what is truly important…There is no reason not to follow your heart.” Living is the adventure. In facing their fears and sadness, these characters learn how to be courageous, how to hope, how to love, and how to live. Join them on their journeys by checking out one of the spotlighted books at your local library.
For cancer teens, that adage is true; they are likely to die before they become adults” (Corliss,2014). In young adult life, the teenagers think that adults cannot help them with their problems, that what they are going through is so unique to them and it has never happened to anyone else before. Given that Augustus does die before he becomes an adult shows that for some young adult's life can be so uncontrollable and not end up in a positive manner. They may not become the adults they wish to be or they may be forced to give up on being youthful. That even the brightest stars die out, but that you can still try to enjoy whatever time you have as a young adult and stop trying to control every aspect of your life. Corliss goes on to say that “ It allows Hazel and Augustus to pack the luster of a lifetime -- first love, trip to Europe, meeting a famous author, last love -- into what may be their only summer” (Corliss 2014). Teens experience a lot of things for the first time during their teen years, The Fault in our stars just gives us a glimpse. The cancer in this book may seem drastic because there were so many other things he could have written about that shows just how out of control teens feel. It just shows that people react to life experiences differently, in the
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
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.
Many literary works deal with the issue of homosexuality and society’s response to it, and each of the works of literature have a different take on the issue. Therefore, the authors create and design their main characters with the traits and characteristics that are most fit to convey their perception of the issue. One of the most well known literary works that deal with homosexuality is “Brokeback Mountain” by Annie Proulx, in which the main characters are two male cowboys that are in love. In fact, the story was controversial enough that director Ang Lee decided to produce an adaptation of the story. However as expected, there was subtle changes in the characters and their traits in the transition from a book to the big screen.
Cancer limits her chances at being a normal teenage girl with a normal life. As reluctant as she was to go to support group, she meets other teenagers going through the same stuff. Hazel gets to experience the flirting, adventure, and excitement of teenage life. She allows herself to be immature and careless. Gus’s death reminds her how unfair the world is but she doesn't regret her choices. In her eulogy at the funeral, Hazel says “I cannot tell you how thankful I am for our little infinity. I wouldn’t trade it for the world. You gave me a forever within the numbered days, and I’m grateful.” (Green 260). This quote shows she doesn't regret becoming close to him; even with the unfortunate fallout she’s thankful for the time and experiences. Hazel matures because of her relationship. She got the chance at “normal” and love. Caring for someone with cancer helped her mature.
The reader sees how detached Hazel appears to be from other women in this story. She can’t understand why they are allowed to be sad but when she appears sad she’s told to smile and how nobody wants to hear about other’s troubles. In fact there are only three women who Hazel holds conversations with at all in the story. The first is her neighbor who lives across the hall while she is married to Herbie. In Mrs. Martin she finds herself an escape from her trapped and unfulfilling life. They drink and play cards with a group of men referred to as “the boys.” This appears to be the only real friend she has through the entire story although they have a falling out based on the men in their life. The next woman is Mrs. Miller whom upon an exchange in the bathroom leads Hazel to the pills she will use in her suicide attempt. The final character is Nettie the colored maid who nurses Hazel back to life after she tries to take her own life. This appears to be a way for the author to explain the tension among women at this time. All the women in Parker’s story are trying to maintain the appearance that society has allotted them. Were some might think this would draw women together in fact made them further separated because they were all afraid of showing the crack in their own “good sport” personalities.
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...
Director John Hughes does it again. In Sixteen Candles, he captures the essence of high school from the views of the nerds to the jocks. Depicted in the daily lives of the main characters, he shows even back in 1984, there is a division by popularity and grade. The struggles and pressures students faced are the same as what students are faced with in today’s high schools. This movie relates to teens year after year, generation after generation. Just as the author William Zinsser states in College Pressures, “They are too young to be prisoners of their parents’ dreams and their classmates’ fears” (385). Hughes is able to capture this through the eyes of high school students and the pressures they feel.
In 2014, John Green’s famous novel The Fault in Our Stars was brought to life with a film adaptation. The novel tells a story of two star-crossed lovers, Augustus Waters (portrayed by Ansel Elgort) and Hazel Grace Lancaster (portrayed by Shailene Woodley). The novel is written from Hazel’s point of view. However, there is something different about this love story than others. Hazel and Augustus are both cancer patients. Fans of Green’s work were ecstatic to see one of their favorite novels on the big screen. This was the first of Green’s works to be brought to life.
Reunion, by John Cheever, is a story told through the eyes of a young boy, Charlie, who is recalling a meeting with his father who he hasn’t seen for more than three years. It is set in New York where Charlie’s father lives. He meets up with his father during a stop over between trains.
...ir relationship Augustus shows Hazel how to live each day to its fullest. Another theme would be the courage within the characters. Hazel and Augustus are cancer patients and they are definitely tougher people because of it. The way they approach their close deaths takes a large amount of courage in itself.
The character Augustus strives to not allow the cancer become his identity, rather to be remembered for something bigger than his illness. Augustus changes a lot from when he is first introduced at the beginning of the book till the final chapters before his death. When Hazel Grace first meets Augustus Waters at the support group she describes him as an attractive, strong and normal boy. It’s later during support group she finds out that he Augustus, once suffered from cancer and is now in remission. He attends the support group only as a companion for his friend Isaac who is a few days away from losing his eyesight. As the support group discussions go on, Augustus is asked what his fears are and he replies “Oblivion” (Green, 12) Augustus wants his life to mean more, rather than to just be forgotten when he dies. After each support group meeting a prayer is said with the list of all the members who have passed away added at the end. “And we remember in our hearts those whom we knew and loved who have gone home to you; Maria and ...
The novel starts off with a young 16-year-old girl named Hazel with thyroid cancer that has spread to her lungs. She serves as the witty narrator and makes death seem like nothing to be afraid of. Augustus Waters, a 17-year-old formally diagnosed with Osteosarcoma, is in remission but has lost a leg due to his cancer. From the beginning, John Green makes readers feel suspenseful as to when or if Hazel is going to die and break Augustus’s heart. But when Augustus goes back into remission, a twist is added to the story and Hazel becomes the healthier partner in their relationship. Hazel and Augustus’s love is put to the test as Augustus’s health deteriorates more and more each day. Readers are sitting on the edge of their seats, as they must wait to see what the fate of this courageous couple will be.