The Fault in Our Stars Literary Analysis
Annalise Harvey
22 September, 2014
College Writing
Prof. Robinson The Fault in Books are a way to escape reality. To leave the real world and step into another, for one hundred pages or for 300 pages. The most important thing about a book are the elements that make it whole. John Green portrays examples of symbolism and theme in his best selling novel, The Fault in our Stars. Symbolism is important in all novels, movies, and songs. It shows the importance that can be picked out of all little things. Theme is important because it gives a point to all things in the world and also in books. The first example of symbolism found in the book was Augustus’s cigarettes. Augustus uses his cigarettes to help him deal with and control his fears, and although Augustus never explicitly says so, it can be inferred throughout the book that cancer is one of his biggest fears. This is important because throughout the book the cigarettes develop a greater meaning than he originally suggests. Augustus goes to his cigarettes whenever he is feeling insecure, or afraid. One of the main examples of this idea from the story occur when Augustus is calling Hazel from the gas station when his health is deteriorating. He rants on to Hazel, “‘I wanted to buy a pack of cigarettes,’ he mumbled. ‘I lost my pack. Or they took it away from me. I don’t know. They said they’d get me another one, but I wanted… to do it myself. Do one little thing myself.’” (Green 244). Augustus is trying to buy a new pack of cigarettes by himself as a symbol of regaining his control. The state of his health and the fact that he was never able to buy the cigarettes both point to the reality that any control he had over his cancer is gone. The second example of symbolism found in the book are grenades. The grenades signify death and suffering of deaths. After Hazel finds Augustus’s ex girlfriends facebook page, and all the love and suffering her death caused her friends, it scares her. She does not want to cause
22 September, 2014
College Writing
Prof. Robinson The Fault in Books are a way to escape reality. To leave the real world and step into another, for one hundred pages or for 300 pages. The most important thing about a book are the elements that make it whole. John Green portrays examples of symbolism and theme in his best selling novel, The Fault in our Stars. Symbolism is important in all novels, movies, and songs. It shows the importance that can be picked out of all little things. Theme is important because it gives a point to all things in the world and also in books. The first example of symbolism found in the book was Augustus’s cigarettes. Augustus uses his cigarettes to help him deal with and control his fears, and although Augustus never explicitly says so, it can be inferred throughout the book that cancer is one of his biggest fears. This is important because throughout the book the cigarettes develop a greater meaning than he originally suggests. Augustus goes to his cigarettes whenever he is feeling insecure, or afraid. One of the main examples of this idea from the story occur when Augustus is calling Hazel from the gas station when his health is deteriorating. He rants on to Hazel, “‘I wanted to buy a pack of cigarettes,’ he mumbled. ‘I lost my pack. Or they took it away from me. I don’t know. They said they’d get me another one, but I wanted… to do it myself. Do one little thing myself.’” (Green 244). Augustus is trying to buy a new pack of cigarettes by himself as a symbol of regaining his control. The state of his health and the fact that he was never able to buy the cigarettes both point to the reality that any control he had over his cancer is gone. The second example of symbolism found in the book are grenades. The grenades signify death and suffering of deaths. After Hazel finds Augustus’s ex girlfriends facebook page, and all the love and suffering her death caused her friends, it scares her. She does not want to cause
Cited: Green, John. The Fault in Our Stars. N.p.: Dutton Juvenile, 2012. Print.