Cancer is one of the world’s worst diseases; they can affect anyone, anytime. Due to this, many people die at young ages and never get to truly experience life. However, this wasn’t an issue for Hazel Grace Lancaster. In the novel, The Fault in Our Stars, written by John Green, Hazel tells her story of how she has lived with cancer since she was fourteen and accepts the fact that she has a higher chance of dying before her peers. However, just because she accepts this doesn’t mean that she wants to live this way. So, she still tries to live the rest of her life to the fullest, while making friends on the way.
Hazel Grace Lancaster is a seventeen-year-old girl who has been suffering from cancer for the past three years. Her illness started as thyroid cancer and then reached her lungs, making it hard for her to breath. Because of this, she has to breathe oxygen from a tank at all times. Worried, Hazel’s parents refer her to a support group at their church. Hazel finally gives the support group a chance and meets Isaac and his friend, Agustus. She finds a keen affection towards Agustus, who lost his leg to cancer. Scared that she might die before him and leave him alone, Hazel decides not to be in a relationship with him.
Instead, she introduces him to her favorite book, An Imperial Affliction by Peter Van Houten. Is this book, the author tells the story of his daughter who has cancer. However, he cuts the book short and leaves an untold ending. Intrigued, Augustus decides to take Hazel to Amsterdam to meet Peter and ask him about the ending. Although they’re not supposed to go on planes due to their cancer, Augustus resolves this problem by using his wish given to him from a cancer foundation. Once they get to Amsterdam, they’re amazed by the fascinating views and prepare for the exciting day to come next.
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The next day, they search for Peter Van Houten. When they find his house, his wife greets them in. Excited, Hazel and Augustus question him about the ending of the book. Little did they know, he was drunk and could care less about his book. So, he responded rudely and Hazel and Augustus left devastated and angry. Peter’s wife apologizes for her husband’s actions and offers to pay for their visit of Anne Frank’s house. Although they were still angry, they accepted her offer and go on their last day there. While visiting the house, Hazel gets really short of breath. However, she manages to make it through the whole house where Agustus finally confesses his love for her. They then leave Amsterdam happy and in love.
Back home, Augustus confides in Hazel and tells her that his cancer has gotten worse than before. Terrified of losing him, Hazel stays by Agustus’ side; until one day, he dies. They plan a funeral for him and Peter attends surprisingly. Still angry, Hazel ignores him when he tried to give her a letter. He leaves her the letter and leaves. She decides to read it and finds out Augustus had written her a letter before he died about how much he loved her. Overwhelmed, Hazel tries to let go of Augustus and move on.
After reading this novel, I have come to the conclusion that the theme is love. Hazel and Augustus still love each other despite their disease. By doing this, they proved that love is infinite. I believe the author’s intention of this book was to inform people that a disease does not define you. Just because you’re suffering more than others does not mean you’re any different, so you should accept that and continue living on. The author writes this book well in the mind of someone dealing with cancer. He really grasps the idea of how hard living can be when you’re diagnosed with such diseases and how tragic life really is.
In this novel, we see that Hazel didn’t let her disease get in the way of her life. However, her disease still found a way to get to her and affect the people she loves. With this in mind, the author hopes to have changed people’s point of view of others who have suffered like Hazel and Augustus. In closing, the novel, The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, is a success for people of all ages suffering from life-threatening problems.
