The Fault in Our Stars Theme Exploration: Fate
You can find this storyboard in the following articles and resources:
The Fault in Our Stars By John Green
Lesson Plans by Bridget Baudinet
The Fault in Our Stars has gained a following among tween and teen readers, as it provides young adults with a poignant way to explore the important questions of the human experience. From a literary perspective, it calls upon students to recognize a number of important metaphors and symbols while tracing the subtle character development of the protagonists.
Storyboard Description
The Fault in Our Stars book theme
Storyboard Text
- FATE
- Cancer
- The Book "An Imperial Affliction"
- An Imperial Affliction
- The Stars
- Cancer
- Long life
- Power
- Gus's Cigarettes
- Neither Hazel nor Augustus has control over their cancer. Despite all the research and treatments, there is no guaranteed way to prevent and eradicate cancer. Fate seems to control whether a person is healthy or sick.
- The phrase "an imperial affliction" means "suffering sent by a higher power." The title of Peter Van Houten's book (which plays an important role in Hazel and Gus's lives) emphasizes the inability of humans to escape suffering.
- The characters seem to agree with the Greek idea that one's destiny is shaped by the stars. Hazel says she and Augustus are "star-crossed lovers" and Van Houten writes that the "fault [is] in our stars".
- Gus's cigarettes are a way for him to metaphorically control his own fate. The unlit cigarettes allow him to play with death without dying as a result. They give him confidence, but don't change the reality that he has no control over his death.
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