Write a summary of the plot .

The fault in our stars is a story about a girl, Hazel, who has lung-cancer. Every day, she has an oxygen tank with her. Her mom tells her to go to support group, where she has to talk to other cancer patients. She doesn’t really like it, until Augustus ‘Gus’ Waters appears. He is very handsome and he seems to be interested in her as well. When they spend the afternoon together, they give each other a book to read. The book Hazel gives Gus is ‘An Imperial Affliction’. AIA ends in an open end, and Hazel has been looking for answers ever since she’s finished the book a few years ago. For Gus’s wish (every cancer-kid gets one) he wishes to travel to Amsterdam with Hazel, where the author of AIA lives. They go there and in Amsterdam they finally share their first kiss. They also have sex that night. Up to that point- very happy story. The next day, Gus tells Hazel that, a few weeks ago, he had an ache. He went to the hospital and had a PET-scan. And, like he says: ‘I lit up like a Christmas tree.’ The cancer is everywhere. From that on, we follow a tragic downwards spiral, that leads to Gus’s death. The book ends with Hazel telling Gus that she does like her choices in life.

Explain the title, use quotes from the novel.

The title isn’t explained in the novel, but I do know why John Green chose that title. There is a play written by Shakespeare about Julius Caesar, in which the nobleman Cassius says to Brutus, 'The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, / But in ourselves, that we are underlings.' John Green states that that is why he called his book that.

It probably is because the people in the novel have cancer, a problem that is clearly within them, but is certainly not their fault.

Discuss the themes of your novel. Make use of quotes and examples.

The themes are:

Love:

• ‘Augustus: “God, you are sexy.”

Me: “We could go to your room.”

Augustus: “I’ve heard worse ideas.”’

• ‘”I’m starting to think you have an amputee fetish,” he answered, still kissing me. I laughed.

“I have an Augustus Waters fetish,” I explained.’

Humor:

• ‘ “Don’t call my boobs funny,” I answered.

“Right here,” Mom said behind us. But I’d made Augustus blush.’

• ‘ “I can only hope,” Julie said, turning back to Gus, “They grow into the kind of thoughtful, intelligent young men you’ve become.”

I resisted the urge to audibly gag. “He’s not that smart,” I said to Julie.

“She’s right. It’s just that most really good-looking people are stupid, so I exceed expectations.”

“Right, it’s primarily his hotness,” I said.

“It can be sort of blinding,” he said.

“It actually did blind our friend Isaac,” I said.

“Terrible tragedy, that. But can I help my own deadly beauty?”

“You cannot.”

“It is my burden, this beautiful face.”

“Not to mention your body.”

“Seriously, don’t even get me started on my hot bod. You don’t want to see me naked, Dave> Seeing me naked actually took Hazel Grace’s breath away,” he said, nodding toward the oxygen tank.’

Disease/ death:

• ‘ “Just before you went into the ICU, I started to feel this ache in my hip.”

“No,” I said. Panic rolled in, pulled me under.

He nodded. “So I went in for a PET-scan.”

(…) He flashed his crooked smile, then said, “I lit up like a Christmas tree, Hazel Grace. The lining of my chest, my left hip, my liver, everywhere.”

(…) “ It’s not fair,” I said. “It’s just so goddamned unfair.”

“The world,” he said, “is not a wish-granting factory.”

What is the setting of the story? When and where does it take place. How do you know? Can you say something about the social/cultural setting?

The story takes place in Indiana and in Amsterdam. The setting is mostly Hazel’s house, Gus’s house, the hospital and the city of Amsterdam. The story is probably in the present. I know because airplanes are mentioned in the novel, and cars and cellphones. It is probably not in the future, because there is nothing used that doesn’t already exist. The disease Hazel has doesn’t exist, nor does her ‘cure’. But, as is explained in ‘Acknowledgments’. But it’s not a future condition, it is just free writing. To me it is very clear that this is an American story, because of the things people do per car. A lot. And even though Hazel nor Gus probably doesn’t have the strength to walk a lot, it will not help if they never even try. Also, Hazel and Gus drive cars, but they’re not eighteen yet. Gus buys cigarettes, which shouldn’t be possible, but he probably looks old enough.

Is the story told with flashbacks or flash forwards, or is the story chronological throughout?

The story has some flashbacks as well as flash forwards in it.  They go back into relevant past to the subject in the present. The flashbacks are very short. ‘And I thought of how this all came to an end, just as it always had.’ But mostly the story is chronological. It’s just that Hazel thinks a lot and in her head she sometimes skips time or thinks back. ‘Anyway, that was the last good day I had with Gus until the Last Good Day.’

Describe the main characters. How do they develop in the story; why do they say/do what they say/do, what is the relevance of their actions to the story? Again try to use quotes from the text.