Warning: Some spoilers ahead.
Hazel Grace was diagnosed with Stage IV cancer but phalanxifor (a fictional drug) has thus far been able to prolong her life. Through a cancer support group, she meets Augustus Waters, a cancer survivor thanks to his leg amputation. While telling the love story of these two protagonists, John Green takes a stance on two philosophical questions.
Augustus is cancer free and has a life to look forward to. Hazel is a ticking time bomb, the beneficiary of a medical miracle that could end at any second. She calls herself a grenade — she hates it when people care about her because she knows that when she eventually dies, she will only end up causing more grief for them. She beats herself up for loving Augustus, because it feels like she is subjecting him to inevitable grief for the sake of her present desires.
However, in a turn of events, Augustus’ cancer returns and he ends up dying before Hazel. Of course this was devastating for Hazel, but rather than get angry at Gus for causing her grief, she is grateful for the time they were able to spend together. It’s then that Hazel realizes “you don’t get to choose if you get hurt in this world… but you do have some say in who hurts you.”* Everyone is a grenade; might as well choose who we get blown up by. That’s why it’s better to love and lose.
I already agree with this premise. The Fault In Our Stars reinforces this point through the arc of Augustus Waters. We are introduced to Augustus the first time Hazel meets him (since Hazel is the narrator) at the cancer support group. Augustus says his greatest fear is “oblivion” — the fear of dying without making an impact, becoming “another unremembered casualty in the ancient and inglorious war against disease.” But when his cancer returns and it becomes clear that he won’t have the time to make the impact he wanted, he realizes that he impacted Hazel’s life in a tremendous way. He overcomes his fear of oblivion and dies triumphantly, knowing his life wasn’t all for naught.
I think the point Green is trying to make here is that the search for meaning is a personal journey and it often doesn’t come from the places you expect it to. Although to be honest, I don’t think I fully understand his arguments. One reason for this could be the fictional medium. Another is that I might be a bit older than the intended target audience of this book. So that’s my fault for not reading this when I was younger. I think about oblivion a lot too, but other books like Man’s Search for Meaning and Four Thousand Weeks had a stronger effect on my beliefs. Nevertheless, an entertaining and well written story. Would recommend this for any nihilistic younger siblings you might have.
IRL Update (06/15/2024): This weekend is the calm before the storm. A barrage of assignments and midterms coming the next few weeks. Hope I can continue finding time for reading.
* These are actually Augusts’ words, but it’s a view shared by Hazel.