The Fault in Our Stars

‘Life is too short to dwell on the small problems and the past’, is a statement often used to indicate the importance of life, and that one should live it to the fullest before it ends, and yet one cannot fathom the importance of death lingering behind it. The novel ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ by John Green, primarily focuses on Hazel Grace Lancaster, a sixteen year old cancer patient, and the struggles and obstacles she must face. Attending a cancer support group, she encounters seventeen year old Augustus Waters, as he tries to leave his mark on the world to be remembered.

Through their experiences in Amsterdam and with each other, the teenagers find love in the dark and desperate time even though they know from the very beginning that it will not last forever. From the beginning, they are forced on a daily basis to face the issue of dying. Everything they do, witness, and experience is done in the pitch black gloom of their awaiting loss of life. The elemental motif of precious life and inevitable death is more than merely living and dying, it is the surface of an infinite sea of experiences encompassing Hazel and Augustus’ complicated relationship, and ultimately, the imminent death of Augustus Waters.

The concept of life and death first unravels in the context of Hazel and Augustus’ peculiar relationship. Their ambiguity concerning death branches off into a multitude of concepts. Previously and even a little while after encountering Augustus, Hazel is extremely hesitant to form any bonds or become close with anyone. For instance, she states that “I’m a grenade and at some point I’m going to blow up and I would to minimize the casualties, okay?” (Green, pg. 99). Hazel believes that people would be better off if she kept her distance from people, because she fears that her loss of life will unnecessarily impose a heavy weight of pain and suffering on their shoulders which they will have to carry. Hazel is at one point, obsessed with finding the ending to the novel by Peter Van Houten, ‘An Imperial Affliction’, connects with it, as she says “If I could just stay alive for a week, I’d know the unwritten secrets of Anna’s mom and the Dutch Tulip Guy.” (Green).

This book, in a sense, accurately represents death, according to Hazel, and she desperately wants to know what the consequences are for Anna’s family after she dies of cancer, as Hazel believes that it will give her an idea of the kind of impact her death will have on her own family. This, in turn creates a complicated relationship revolving around life and death between Hazel and Augustus, as either one may perish before the other as a result of their cancer. Hazel “wanted to know that he would be okay if I died. I wanted to not be a grenade, to not be a malevolent force in the lives of people I loved.” (Green).

Hazel and Augustus both fear their awaiting mortality; Augustus afraid of leaving the world without leaving a mark or impression, and Hazel explaining through a colloquy, explains that: “Everything we did and built and wrote and thought and discovered will be forgotten […] and this will have been for nought […] And if the inevitability of human oblivion worries you, I encourage you to ignore it. God knows that’s what everyone else does.” (Green, pg.64). Hazel and Augustus’ relationship is cushioned and integrated with various interpretations and values of life and death, how death affects the people closest to you, and the uncertainty of the afterlife. Through their relationship, Hazel is able to rip herself from the grips of isolation and live her life to the fullest for the first time in forever.

Although it is first implied that Hazel will perish, in a twist of fate, Augustus’ cancer resurfaces and ultimately, he is the one who faces an untimely death. Prior to Augustus hearing the news of his cancer reappearing, he fears that “I won’t be able to give anything in exchange for my life. If you don’t live a life in service of a greater good, you’ve gotta at least die a death in service of a greater good, you know? And I fear that I won’t get a life or death that means anything.” (Green, pg.168). Augustus wants his life and death to mean something, because he fears that he will fade into oblivion with not a soul to remember him. He sacrifices his wish from “The Genie Foundation”, so that Hazel can go to Amsterdam to seek out the conclusion of ‘An Imperial Affliction’, and remarks that “I got my wish, I suppose.

I left my scar.” (Green), by helping Hazel. Through Augustus’ death, Hazel learns what it will be like for her family when she dies, and comprehends that death compels you to value life more, as she states in Augustus’ eulogy, “without pain, we couldn’t know joy.” (Green). Hazel chose to spend the rest of her short life with Augustus, and as he writes in his letter to her towards the end of the novel, “You don’t get to choose if you get hurt in this world […] but you do have some say in who hurts you. “ (Green). Augustus’ death is not merely just another cancer kid tragedy, it holds the answers which Hazel has been searching for―that her own family would be able to move on after she passes away, and that she should live life to the fullest.

In brief, Hazel and Augustus’ relationship, placed on a tipping scale of life and death, is comprised of layers of experiences and evens in their lives, Augustus wants to leave the world knowing that he has left some sort of impression behind, which he does through giving his wish from “The Genie Foundation” to Hazel. Hazel closes off herself from the outside world for the sake of saving the people she meets from the suffering in the aftermath of her death, yet finally accepts that her family will still be functional without her and comes to terms with the fact that death forces one to place a higher value on life.

She is able to go through the experience of losing someone you love, and eventually working through and overcoming it. Hazel finally understands that dying is a condition which allows us to live life to the max. For the short while which Augustus is alive, his and Hazel’s infinite sea of experiences heightens their understanding of precious life and impending mortality. In the end, the concept of life is but a cake, each layer representing our relationships with people, and the awareness of its shortness is felt crystal clear as a result of the pain experienced when a family member or loved one dies―further justifying that life is meant to be lived to the fullest, as the most you make out of a short life lasts for a long time, but death is forever.

‘Life is too short to dwell on the small problems and the past’, is a statement often used to indicate the importance of life, and that one should live it to the fullest before it ends, and yet one cannot fathom the importance of death lingering behind it. The novel ‘The Fault in Our Stars’ by John Green, primarily focuses on Hazel Grace Lancaster, a sixteen year old cancer patient, and the struggles and obstacles she must face. Attending a cancer support group, she encounters seventeen year old Augustus Waters, as he tries to leave his mark on the world to be remembered.

Through their experiences in Amsterdam and with each other, the teenagers find love in the dark and desperate time even though they know from the very beginning that it will not last forever. From the beginning, they are forced on a daily basis to face the issue of dying. Everything they do, witness, and experience is done in the pitch black gloom of their awaiting loss of life. The elemental motif of precious life and inevitable death is more than merely living and dying, it is the surface of an infinite sea of experiences encompassing Hazel and Augustus’ complicated relationship, and ultimately, the imminent death of Augustus Waters.

The concept of life and death first unravels in the context of Hazel and Augustus’ peculiar relationship. Their ambiguity concerning death branches off into a multitude of concepts. Previously and even a little while after encountering Augustus, Hazel is extremely hesitant to form any bonds or become close with anyone. For instance, she states that “I’m a grenade and at some point I’m going to blow up and I would to minimize the casualties, okay?” (Green, pg. 99). Hazel believes that people would be better off if she kept her distance from people, because she fears that her loss of life will unnecessarily impose a heavy weight of pain and suffering on their shoulders which they will have to carry. Hazel is at one point, obsessed with finding the ending to the novel by Peter Van Houten, ‘An Imperial Affliction’, connects with it, as she says “If I could just stay alive for a week, I’d know the unwritten secrets of Anna’s mom and the Dutch Tulip Guy.” (Green).

This book, in a sense, accurately represents death, according to Hazel, and she desperately wants to know what the consequences are for Anna’s family after she dies of cancer, as Hazel believes that it will give her an idea of the kind of impact her death will have on her own family. This, in turn creates a complicated relationship revolving around life and death between Hazel and Augustus, as either one may perish before the other as a result of their cancer. Hazel “wanted to know that he would be okay if I died. I wanted to not be a grenade, to not be a malevolent force in the lives of people I loved.” (Green).

Hazel and Augustus both fear their awaiting mortality; Augustus afraid of leaving the world without leaving a mark or impression, and Hazel explaining through a colloquy, explains that: “Everything we did and built and wrote and thought and discovered will be forgotten […] and this will have been for nought […] And if the inevitability of human oblivion worries you, I encourage you to ignore it. God knows that’s what everyone else does.” (Green, pg.64). Hazel and Augustus’ relationship is cushioned and integrated with various interpretations and values of life and death, how death affects the people closest to you, and the uncertainty of the afterlife. Through their relationship, Hazel is able to rip herself from the grips of isolation and live her life to the fullest for the first time in forever.

Although it is first implied that Hazel will perish, in a twist of fate, Augustus’ cancer resurfaces and ultimately, he is the one who faces an untimely death. Prior to Augustus hearing the news of his cancer reappearing, he fears that “I won’t be able to give anything in exchange for my life. If you don’t live a life in service of a greater good, you’ve gotta at least die a death in service of a greater good, you know? And I fear that I won’t get a life or death that means anything.” (Green, pg.168). Augustus wants his life and death to mean something, because he fears that he will fade into oblivion with not a soul to remember him. He sacrifices his wish from “The Genie Foundation”, so that Hazel can go to Amsterdam to seek out the conclusion of ‘An Imperial Affliction’, and remarks that “I got my wish, I suppose.

I left my scar.” (Green), by helping Hazel. Through Augustus’ death, Hazel learns what it will be like for her family when she dies, and comprehends that death compels you to value life more, as she states in Augustus’ eulogy, “without pain, we couldn’t know joy.” (Green). Hazel chose to spend the rest of her short life with Augustus, and as he writes in his letter to her towards the end of the novel, “You don’t get to choose if you get hurt in this world […] but you do have some say in who hurts you. “ (Green). Augustus’ death is not merely just another cancer kid tragedy, it holds the answers which Hazel has been searching for―that her own family would be able to move on after she passes away, and that she should live life to the fullest.

In brief, Hazel and Augustus’ relationship, placed on a tipping scale of life and death, is comprised of layers of experiences and evens in their lives, Augustus wants to leave the world knowing that he has left some sort of impression behind, which he does through giving his wish from “The Genie Foundation” to Hazel. Hazel closes off herself from the outside world for the sake of saving the people she meets from the suffering in the aftermath of her death, yet finally accepts that her family will still be functional without her and comes to terms with the fact that death forces one to place a higher value on life.

She is able to go through the experience of losing someone you love, and eventually working through and overcoming it. Hazel finally understands that dying is a condition which allows us to live life to the max. For the short while which Augustus is alive, his and Hazel’s infinite sea of experiences heightens their understanding of precious life and impending mortality. In the end, the concept of life is but a cake, each layer representing our relationships with people, and the awareness of its shortness is felt crystal clear as a result of the pain experienced when a family member or loved one dies―further justifying that life is meant to be lived to the fullest, as the most you make out of a short life lasts for a long time, but death is forever.