"The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, But in ourselves, that we are underlings.” This quote inspired John Green to write the 2012 novel The Fault in Our Stars, which contains many other underlying messages. Green states, “The truth is that metaphor and symbol are all around us, and that we are constantly reading our lives and the world symbolically. I want figurative language and symbols to be as deeply integrated into the story as they are into our lives” (Sparknote). That’s exactly what he did in writing this number one fiction book of the year.
In “The Fault in Our Stars” there are numerous themes that can be related to all readers. One of the major themes throughout the book is the fear of oblivion or dealing with oblivion.(Sparknote)…show more content… A person making the decision to walk up and
down the stairs, makes it known they are strong enough to walk up them and deal with the fatigue after finishing them. Ones that are forced to ride the elevator show the true extent of their diminishing health. Once the decision to take the elevator is in action, it shows to the rest of the therapy group that he or she is in their final stages and on any upcoming day they won’t be seen on the elevator or at group therapy (Shmoop).
In The Fault in Our Stars, John Green along with many other literary devices decided to make multiple references to many other greatly accomplished literary works. One of the first references in the book is about the band name “Hectic Glow” (WorldPress). This reference comes from a journal entry from Henry David Thoreau. Thoreau wrote, “Decay and disease are often beautiful, like the pearly tear of the shellfish or the hectic glow of consumption” (WorldPress). Hazel has tuberculosis which has a side effect of the reddening of cheeks or commonly called a” Hectic Glow”. The link comes from the consumption Thoreau talks about, and Hazel’s cancer. Cancer is commonly known to healthy people as taking over someone’s body; or consuming