Most recently, I have been suffering from an overdose of the teenage-tragedy entitled "high school." In order to relieve the stress that Honors classes so heavily pour on, I've been retreating to John Green's The Fault in Our Stars every night. I read this novel of 313 pages for the first time in one day in the midst of last August, but upon receiving the book for Christmas, I decided to re-read my Best Fiction Novel of 2012 in more depth and understanding.
I don't plan on reviewing this book again, as I've already done that here, but this will be more of an analysis, more of a thought-provoking post. I will try to make this post as spoiler free as possible, for readers who have not yet read the book.
Introduction
Sixteen year-old Hazel, a girl diagnosed with Stage IV Thyroid in her lungs, has always felt like she was a grenade ready to blow up, hurting everyone around her; a side-effect of death. When she attends the Cancer Kid Support Group one evening, with her oxygen tank trailing behind, not only does she find friendship in Isaac, a boy soon to go blind, but in Augustus Waters, who is gorgeous, in remission, and just won't stop staring at her. Together, the three will ride "the roller coaster that only goes up", which is one of sickness, health, humor, and love.
Introduction
Sixteen year-old Hazel, a girl diagnosed with Stage IV Thyroid in her lungs, has always felt like she was a grenade ready to blow up, hurting everyone around her; a side-effect of death. When she attends the Cancer Kid Support Group one evening, with her oxygen tank trailing behind, not only does she find friendship in Isaac, a boy soon to go blind, but in Augustus Waters, who is gorgeous, in remission, and just won't stop staring at her. Together, the three will ride "the roller coaster that only goes up", which is one of sickness, health, humor, and love.
Favorite Quotes/Passages
I fell in love the way you fall asleep: slowly, then all at once.
My thoughts are stars I cannot fathom into constellations.
Some infinities are bigger than other infinities.
He smiled. Gallows humor. "I'm on a roller coaster that only goes up," he said.
"And it is my privilege and my responsibility to ride it all the way up with you," I said.
"Oh, I wouldn't mind Hazel Grace. It would be a privilege to have my heart broken by you."
"They don't kill you unless you light them. And I've never lit one. It's a metaphor, see: you put the killing thing right between your teeth, but you don't give it the power to do it's killing...I'm a big believer in metaphor, Hazel Grace."
The Stars
It was Shakespeare who said, "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars/But in ourselves." In John Green's novel, Peter Van Houten goes on to say, "Were she better, or you sicker, the stars would not be so terribly crossed, but it is the nature of stars to cross, and never was Shakespeare more wrong..."
From here, the title is derived for the novel, and brings about the idea that humans do not really decide who the make friendships with - or more importantly, who they fall in love with - it is merely the coincidental, and magical crossing of their stars.
The Tulip
The national flower of the Netherlands, is the tulip (my best friend pointed that out happily in Honors History the other day, when our teacher asked what flower was used as currency in Amsterdam, and we both had a little OMG moment where we both whispered, "The Dutch Tulip Man" - read the book and you'll know what I'm talking about, but anyway...) Several references to tulips are seen throughout the book for example, an extinct species of tulip, was called Semper Augustus, and the Netherlands is where Peter Van Houten lives. Click here, to watch John Green talk about tulips on his trip to Amsterdam to do research for the book.
The Hero
Throughout his book, several references are made to "the hero" and the real definition of that word. After Hazel and Augustus meet for the first time, together they watch V for Vendetta whereas Hazel gives us a brief synopsis: “The movie was about this heroic guy in a mask who died heroically for Natalie Portman, who’s pretty badass and very hot and does not have anything approaching my puffy steroid face." This goes on to represent one idea in the meaning of life, that we must "be the hero" in someone else's life - must make a huge difference - in order to be remembered when oblivion finally hits.
In an interview with goodreads.com John Green mentions that The Fault in Our Stars is the only book he has written from the point of view of a female character. This showing the opposition to gender constructs, and the idea that the most important "heroes" in both reality and fiction are male. Superman, Prince Charming, the masked-man in V for Vendetta.
The Universe
During a conversation with her dad, Hazel discusses life after death. Although she wants to believe "we'll all go live in the clouds and play harps and live in mansions", she's not quite sure what to believe. Her Dad then goes on to say that he believes the following:
“I believe the universe wants to be noticed. I think the universe is inprobably biased toward the consciousness, that it rewards intelligence in part because the universe enjoys its elegance being observed. And who am I, living in the middle of history, to tell the universe that it-or my observation of it-is temporary?”
And I interpret that passage to mean that mankind will live on until the universe has been as much "noticed" as it can get. That we have advanced as a culture as far as we can go, conquered our differences, and gotten past the fear of oblivion, because only then will we know the true meaning of life.
For further reading on the metaphors in The Fault in Our Stars, check out TFiOS: The Metatext. Or simply, read the book for yourself (which I highly suggest either way).
From here, the title is derived for the novel, and brings about the idea that humans do not really decide who the make friendships with - or more importantly, who they fall in love with - it is merely the coincidental, and magical crossing of their stars.
The Tulip
The national flower of the Netherlands, is the tulip (my best friend pointed that out happily in Honors History the other day, when our teacher asked what flower was used as currency in Amsterdam, and we both had a little OMG moment where we both whispered, "The Dutch Tulip Man" - read the book and you'll know what I'm talking about, but anyway...) Several references to tulips are seen throughout the book for example, an extinct species of tulip, was called Semper Augustus, and the Netherlands is where Peter Van Houten lives. Click here, to watch John Green talk about tulips on his trip to Amsterdam to do research for the book.
The Hero
Throughout his book, several references are made to "the hero" and the real definition of that word. After Hazel and Augustus meet for the first time, together they watch V for Vendetta whereas Hazel gives us a brief synopsis: “The movie was about this heroic guy in a mask who died heroically for Natalie Portman, who’s pretty badass and very hot and does not have anything approaching my puffy steroid face." This goes on to represent one idea in the meaning of life, that we must "be the hero" in someone else's life - must make a huge difference - in order to be remembered when oblivion finally hits.
In an interview with goodreads.com John Green mentions that The Fault in Our Stars is the only book he has written from the point of view of a female character. This showing the opposition to gender constructs, and the idea that the most important "heroes" in both reality and fiction are male. Superman, Prince Charming, the masked-man in V for Vendetta.
The Universe
During a conversation with her dad, Hazel discusses life after death. Although she wants to believe "we'll all go live in the clouds and play harps and live in mansions", she's not quite sure what to believe. Her Dad then goes on to say that he believes the following:
“I believe the universe wants to be noticed. I think the universe is inprobably biased toward the consciousness, that it rewards intelligence in part because the universe enjoys its elegance being observed. And who am I, living in the middle of history, to tell the universe that it-or my observation of it-is temporary?”
And I interpret that passage to mean that mankind will live on until the universe has been as much "noticed" as it can get. That we have advanced as a culture as far as we can go, conquered our differences, and gotten past the fear of oblivion, because only then will we know the true meaning of life.
For further reading on the metaphors in The Fault in Our Stars, check out TFiOS: The Metatext. Or simply, read the book for yourself (which I highly suggest either way).
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