For
Literary Appreciation course in the second semester of first year in Bachelor
Of Science with Education, I seek for my interest in a novel, The Fault In
Our Stars, by John Green, which is published in the first month of 2012.
Actually I found out this novel because of a song, sang by Ed Sheeran, All of
the Stars, which have been chosen as the theme song when the storyline of this
novel adapted to a film in 2014. The Fault In Our Stars gained the first
position in the Bestseller List of Wall Street Journal and on the Indiebound
seller list. This novel also became the New York Times Book Review Editor’s
Choice and debuted as the first in New York Times Best Seller list in 2012. In
2013, The Fault In Our Stars has awarded as Children’s Choice Book Award
in Teen Book of the Year’s category. The Fault In Our Stars is the sixth
novel debuted by John Green. John Green is an American author, born on August
24 in 1977 in Indianapolis. John Green creates his writing based on the
inspiration from his experience. For example, he worked in a hospital before
and saw the children suffered from life-threatening illnesses. Thus, he
continued to apply his experience and work on the novel, The Fault In Our
Stars. John Green was awarded since his first publication novel, Looking
for Alaska, by American Library Association literary
award in 2006. He also won in National Author Award in
Indiana Authors Award and Innovator’s Award in Los Angeles Times Book Prize in
2013.
Thesis statement from this novel is “You don't get to choose
if you get hurt in this world..but you do have some say in who hurts you” (Chapter
25, page 313). This quote emphasis that, we have no right to control what
people will do and that action may hurt us, but we can choose who will get
close with us. This novel is drawing a beautiful love story where the main
character, Hazel Graze Lanchester who having terminal lung cancer, meet
Augustus Waters who suffered from osteosarcoma. The storyline further the
attractiveness when they get on a journey to visit Hazel’s favourite writer,
Peter Van Houten. Their relationship grows more when they travelled to Amsterdam
and spent their time there. Unfortunately, Hazel, who always think she is
nearer to the life of death, need to accept that, Augustus is suffering for
life-threatening illness and will die sooner than her.
In the novel The Fault In Our Stars, John Green plotted a story of making
choices and going through valuable experiences before death in predicted time.
John Green builds a 16 years old teenage girl, Hazel Grace Lanchester as the
main character, who battled with cancer and counting her life span that she
still have. Her mother sent her to Support Group for Cancer Survivors to build
her self-confidence and encouraged her to mix with the society. Until one day,
she met Augustus Waters who catch her eyes on their first meeting. Augustus
Waters came to the Support Group for Cancer Survivors to give support to his
friend, Issac, who is suffered from eye cancer and will be blind soon. While,
Augustus suffered from Osteosarcoma, a certain illness related to bone cancer,
and after he lost his leg, he uses prosthetic to replace his
leg.
Their
relationships begin when Hazel shared her favourite book, An Imperial Affliction, which is the story regarding the
realities of dying from cancer, with Augustus. Augustus and Hazel slowly built
their relationship and know each other better by exchanging their views about
the book. Knowing Hazel’s curiosity about the ending of the novel, Augustus
tried to contact the author of the book, Peter Van Houten. From my point of
view, Augustus treated Hazel as a very important friend because he tried to fulfill
her wishes after he knew Hazel wished to know the ending of her favourite book.
Augustus uses a wish that given by a foundation for cancer children to support
him and Hazel to Amsterdam to find out the ending of the story that Hazel was
dying to know. This means that, Hazel stood still on her wish to meet the
author and hope to find for the true even though her body is still weak. For
Augustus, he is willing to use his wish to support Hazel’s and his expenses in
the journey to Amsterdam.
Hazel and Augustus have a great time travelled to
Amsterdam until they met Peter Van Houten. It doesn’t go as well as they had
planned when they met the author face to face at the author’s house. He is a
drunk man, talking nonsense and criticize Hazel and Augustus by saying that, ‘like sick children..
you say you don’t want pity, but your very existence
depends upon it’. I think Peter Van Houten said such things to Hazel
because he has his own problem that keep blowing him on his mind as his
assistant said, he was a nice man before. Hazel felt disappointed and upset
because she still can’t know the ending from the author himself. However, Peter
Van Houten’s assistant, Lidewij Vligenthart, invited Hazel
and Augustus to visit Anne Frank’s house in Amsterdam. However, Augustus has
promised Hazel that he will write an epilogue of the story, an happy ending of
the story for Hazel.
‘Some
infinities are bigger than other infinities’ is a popular quote in this novel and the
quote is stated out by Peter Van Houten when Hazel and Augustus visited him.
Infinities is limitless but Georg Cantor proved it, it is still can be
compared. From Hazel’s perspective, from 0 to 2, there is unlimited numbers
such as 0.1, 0.11, 0.112 and so on. Thus, when we are keep on moving, we will
get a smaller and smaller distance between the boundaries. Hazel is appreciate
and feels thankful with her and Augustus’s little infinity or little time
together. In Hazel’s heart, she has chose to be with Augustus even though
Augustus may left her alone at the end of the story.
Before they went
back to Indianapolis, heart-breaking scene takes over. Augustus shocked Hazel
by telling her that, his cancer has returned, had spread to whole body and his
condition is much worse than his previous condition. Hazel never thinks
Augustus has shorter life span than her so she felt extremely upset but she
promised that she will stay by his side and going through his remained time together.
Actually we can compare the character of Hazel and Monica. Hazel did not leave
Augustus even though he is going to die soon but Monica leaves Issac
immediately when she know Issac is going to be a blind man. Augustus arranged a
pre-funeral at the church basement while Hazel and Issac prepared their
eulogies for the funeral. Hazel expressed her gratefulness because she was able
to spend time and each little infinity with Augustus even just for a short
time. Hazel realized Augustus has turned from a humorous and brave young man to
a frightened because of his illusion, nostalgia and had become a vulnerable
person. However, Hazel stays by his side and helps him going through his last
life time.
Augustus dies 8
day after his pre-funeral. Hazel is surprised when she met Peter Van Houten,
the author of An Imperial Affliction, attended to Augustus’s funeral. Then
Hazel learned that, Augustus still stayed in touch with the author before he
died. Peter Van Houten reveals that, the main character of the novel, Anna, was
his 8 years old daughter who died because of leukemia. Peter Van Houten also
gives a letter to Hazel by saying that, the letter is coming from Augustus. The
letter is an eulogy written by Augustus to Hazel. Augustus stated his feeling
for Hazel and is attracted by Hazel’s beauty and personality. He also added
that, people can choose who hurt them and he likes his choice. He hoped Hazel
will like her choice for choosing him too and the end of the story finished by
‘I do’, which is mean Hazel likes her choice for choosing Augustus too. We
can choose something and that particular thing may hurt us but after all, it is
our choice. At the end, Hazel put a packet of Augustus’s favourite cigarette
for him and said that she loves him present tense, means she loves him until
now and future. In this story, although it does not have a happy ending, where
two of the main characters live happily ever after, but Hazel stays faithful
and keep remembering her partner.
John Green embedded the story line with the greatest of
love from parents to Hazel and love between Hazel and Augustus. Because of
love, Hazel’s parents want to fulfill all her wills included flying to
Amsterdam to meet the book’s author and because of love, Hazel and Augustus
found a reason to appreciate every moment in their life. The other themes in
this novel included courage. Every patient, who suffered from cancers in this
book need courage to keep on living every valuable moment in their live. For example,
even though Issac needs to operate his eyes and will be blind, but he continues
his life and make himself used to a dark world. From my point of view, Issac
has grew and became a strong man with the help and support given by his two
best friends, Hazel and Augustus. He keeps holding on when his girlfriend,
Monica left him. Hazel also keep holding on even though Augustus told her that
he will die soon as she keep accompanying him and help him going through the
hard times. ‘Grief does not change you, it reveals you’ is what Peter
Van Houten tells Hazel in Augustus’s funeral. He was saying that deep sorrow
illness does not change Hazel to a different person but this illness reveals a
part of Hazel’s braveness to face the fate.
From my point of view, ‘You don't get to choose if you get hurt in this world..but you do have some
say in who hurts you’ utter a very important message in this book. This
message is given by Augustus to Hazel through Peter Van Houten. If we get hurt
by someone that we chose, we will be happy with our choice because we chose
them. At least we have the rights to pick who can tackle our feelings. John
Green created The Fault In Our Stars with
a lot love, romance, funny and tears bursting scene. This novel reveals the
real side of cancer patients who need courage to keep moving on and the
relationship between the love from family such as Hazel’s parents’ love towards
Hazel and Waters’ family towards their son, Augustus. The story line also
included a strong friendship between Issac and Augustus, which encourage Issac
to continue his life even though he has lost both of his eyes and his
girlfriend, Monica. Furthermore, I also learn that, we need to have courage
when we desire to do something because if we do not have courage to action, we
will not have, even a slip, to reach our dream.
This book
conveys a very real story because it related to the real condition of the
cancers patients. Readers maybe think this kind of story did not suitable for
them because it is too sorrow and give a lot of description about dying
matters. But actually, the story line included a lot of interesting characters
and bundle of good values that we can obtained in this novel. These patients
who suffered from cancer mainly have a very strong spirit to fight over their
illness by the forming of Support Group for Cancer Patients. I think this
association can give a lot of support and advice to the patients so that the patients
would not take silly action such as commit suicide and so on. This novel copes
with the beauty of love between two cancer patients and how do they face their
fate of dying. It also copes with the philosophical matters when it discusses
about the meaning of life and death. Thus, I would recommend everyone to read
and discover more about this book. It educates us how to retain courage in
ourselves for dealing hard issues. The novel also emphasis on how a short life
can become an infinity moment if we appreciate and going through that moment
with valuable experiences. Thus, we need to appreciate time by doing something
beneficial and take more time to be with someone that we cherish and treasure.
