Literary Analysis #3

1.Summary: I read the novel The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. It is about a teenager named Hazel Grace who has cancer and is sent to a support group. She meets a new boy and they catch one another's eyes. Soon enough she and Augustus (the boy) become friends and talk to each other about everything. Hazel shares her favorite book called An Imperial Infliction with Augustus and together they ponder the mysterious ending. Augustus manages to somehow get through to the author and when Hazel emails him, he invites her to come to Amsterdam to discuss the ending of the book. While all this is going on Augustus and Hazels' good friend Isaac is loosing his the only eye he has left in hopes to be cancer free. In this process he also loses a girlfriend named Monica, who can't "deal" with having a blind boyfriend. Augustus still had his wish from when he had cancer and told Hazel he would use it to take her to Amsterdam to meet the author but she still had to convince her parents and doctor. After they get to Amsterdam they meet the author Peter Van Houten who is a mean drunk. He didn't answer any of the questions Hazel asked. Later Augustus tells Hazel his cancer has returned and its not looking good. When he passes on Hazel says a eulogy and sees that Peter Van Houten is there and she talks to him. He says he wrote the book because his daughter died of cancer. Hazel finds out her mother is studying to become a support group leader and is relieved that there is life for her parents after she dies. She finds a note from Augustus that he wrote before he died and it said he hopes that she is happy with the choices she made in her life, and she was. That is pretty much what happens in this novel.

2. Something about the book that jumped out at me is how the characters dealt with cancer. They were scared of course but they were more terrified of others and losing the ones they love. Hazel blamed herself for the grief her family felt. 

3. I sensed the book was very humorous but sad. John Green had a way of turning a sad serious situation into a funny scenario. You could definitely feel the pain the characters each had. An example would be:

- "And so we thought, just as any healthy person would: I gotta outlast four of these bastards."

4. Literary techniques:

- Rhetorical Question: "Why did the cast rotate?"

- Personification: "Osteosarcoma sometimes takes a limb to check you out. Then, if it likes you, if takes the rest."

There is also dialogue, simile, personification, diction, and imagery. 

CHARACTERIZATION:

1. Direct Characterization: Hazel does a pretty good job of describing all the people in the book as they are introduced. She certainly wastes no time in describing how she sees Augustus (hint: she thinks he's hot): I liked that he was a tenured professor in the Department of Slightly Crooked Smiles with a dual appointment in the Department of Having a Voice That Made my Skin Feel More Like Skin.
She also does a fine job of letting us know what other characters are like based off of little traits:
My mom was really super into celebration maximization.
Just with this one example, Hazel is able to characterize her mother as someone who tries to live life to the fullest and bring joy into it for her family.
Indirect Characterization: "We pour Scotch into a glass and then call to mind thoughts of water, and then we mix the actual Scotch with the abstracted idea of water."
"Well, I believe in true love," Isaac said. "And I love her. And she promised. She promised me always." - This got to me so much.

2. While I was reading this novel I did not notice that the diction nor the syntax changed while John Green focused on a certain character. They were al battling something bigger and were treated equal. John Green had Hazel and Augustus fall in love because they both went through the same thing. They understood each other and that's what was important.

3. The protagonist who is Hazel is a dynamic character. Hazel seemed to be the one who went through a lot in this novel. She lost the love of her life and was slowly losing her life. She is also the round character in this novel. The flat character would be her love interest Augustus who makes her see the world in a new light.

4. After reading this book I am at a loss for words. It left me so emotional and I was definitely not prepared for it. It is amazing book and John Green had a great way of bringing these characters to life even when they were losing theirs. I felt close to them and like I personally knew them. I felt for all the characters because they all battled something bigger than them. I was speechless.