Monica's Lessons

Monica, a minor character when it comes to The Fault in Our Stars, has a bigger role then just playing the cliche girl who breaks a poor guy's heart. But first background knowledge. Monica and Isaac (a teenage boy about to go blind) dated for a long period of time. They were always known to be whispering "always" to each other, promising to stay together. Well lets just say that didn't last. A few days before Isaac has surgery, making him completely blind, Monica leaves him because she couldn't handle having a blind boy friend. This, of course, is followed by a long period of sadness, where even after Isaac becomes blind, he still thinks about her more than the surgery.

At a quick glance Monica is seen as rude, selfish, not really caring at all about Isaac. However, there are definitely more reasons then that to have her be a part of the story.

For one, she teaches the reader that nothing ever lasts, a common theme seen throughout the book. Her leaving Isaac shows that "always" doesn't necessarily mean forever. Everything ends, whether it's good or bad.

Second, while Monica can be viewed as selfish, maybe she was looking out for Isaac. As she said, she couldn't handle Isaac's disability. Leaving him, gives him the chance to find someone that can care for him even though he is blind. Could she have at least tried and stayed? Sure, but at least she was honest.

Also, Monica shows that you have to stand up for yourself. While leaving Isaac may have seemed like a "weak move", I believe it was actually strong of her. She did what was best for her, instead of allowing herself to get hurt in a relationship she couldn't handle. Even though Isaac was very upset, she went through with her decision. You can control your happiness, not others, and Monica's decision benefited her happiness. Isaac shouldn't rely on her as his only form of happiness, and the pain of her leaving will go away eventually.

These lessons that Monica teaches the reader are skills that everyone can apply to their life and they shouldn't be overlooked, even though Monica is just a minor character throughout the novel.

The Fault in Our Stars Review

The day after I finished The Fault in Our Stars, I started reading it again. It's just such a great book! It definitely deserves a rating of 5 out of 5. Every event that takes place throughout the story is meaningful.

The story starts out with a young girl Hazel, who is fighting cancer in her lungs. Every week she is forced to go to a rather boring and hardly useful support group, along with other kids with cancer. One week a new cancer surviver, Augustus, attends the support group. Right from the start, Hazel instantly found herself falling in love with everything about him. The two of them further connect over Hazel's favorite book, The Imperial Affliction. This leads them on a journey seeking to find the answers left unknown at the end of the book. But as Augustus says, "The world is not a wish granting factory," and this task is made nearly impossible by unexpected events that leave the reader in suspense.

Theme of The Fault in Our Stars

Okay, so this is probably already clear by how many posts I have done on this book, but I absolutely love The Fault in Our Stars. The book is so inspiring and has a great message. This book contains many themes dealing with courage, love, identity, and so many other topics. However my favorite theme has to do with thankfulness.

Being thankful for what you have leads to happiness.

This theme is present many times throughout the book. It is relevant because Hazel and Augustus don't know how long they will survive with their cancer, so it is important for them to be thankful for the time they do have.

Hazel states, "You gave me forever within the numbered days, and for that I am thankful."

I think this quote is really powerful. It shows that even though Hazel wants more time with Augustus, she appreciates the time she has. Hazel's strength teaches the reader to be thankful for everything that makes you happy, even if it only lasts for a short amount of time.

Another quote that implies the theme is: "Some infinities are bigger than other infinities."

This is by far one of my favorite quotes from the book. What Hazel means by this is that even though her time with Augustus is infinite, their infinite is shorter than others because their time alive might be cut short by cancer. But even with the time being shorter, Hazel still loves every minute of being with Augustus and she is thankful for it.

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Augustus Characterization Changes

In the beginning of the book, Augustus is characterized as flirty and humorous. He often teases Hazel and jokes around basically all the time. As the author gets to know him more and as the story goes on, he transitions into a more supportive and careful person, although he still kept his sense of humor. I think that this character change shows the reader the positive and negatives to both being a more light-hearted person and a more serious, careful person.

As a light-hearted person, Augustus wasn't usually taken very seriously. However, his jokes and cheerful attitude raised everyone's spirits. Most people would come to him when they wanted to be cheered up.

Towards the end of the book, Augustus is more caareful and gives more advice. He doesn't take everything as a joke and in return, people come to him for support and advice.

The transition of Augustus's personality adds depth to the book.

Important Line from The Fault in Our Stars

“That's the thing about pain," Augustus said, and then glanced back at me. "It demands to be felt.”

This quote is one of my favorites from The Fault in Our Stars. It is realistic and I can relate to what it is saying. The quote is also important to the story line because it foreshadows future events yet to come. When Augustus glances away,along with his serious tone, it shows that he is hiding something from Hazel and the reader. It also creates suspense by making the reader curious about what pain Augustus is thinking about when he says this. 

Other than helping the plot and story line, the quote adds depth and a serious tone. It makes the reader aware of the truth in the quote. It is accurate and easy to relate to. I think everyone has experienced a time where they wanted to forget about something that was making them upset, but you can't stop thinking about it or feeling it. This is what Augustus is saying in his quote and it allows the reader to connect to the book and Augustus by feeling sympathy for him, because we understand what he is talking about.

This book has so many great quotes that really engage the reader and makes the book really exciting to read.

The Fault in Our Stars- Isaac

I started reading John Green's The Fault in Our Stars and I haven't been able to put the book down ever since. Usually, I'm the type of person who only reads when I have to, but this book is different. From the beginning, I was instantly hooked. The characters such as Augustus, Hazel, and Isaac are described so well that I feel like I know them in person. All three of them have been diagnosed with cancer, but all of their stories are very different. Along with different stories, their personalities are all very different.

Isaac is the most emotional character. He reacts based on his emotions and not based on the facts. Every negative event that happens, he takes it personally. While emotions are important to feel sympathy for others and to connect with people, Isaac's personality shows that sometimes being over-emotional can create further problems. An example of Isaac's strong emotions is after his girlfriend broke up with him.

"Isaac stomped on them and screamed while Augustus and I stood a few feet away bearing witness to the madness" (Green 107).

Most people over look Isaac since he isn't one of the main characters. However, he adds meaning and lessons to the book. From Isaac's experiences, the reader is taught about friendship. Isaac and Augustus's friendship is very strong. Isaac is always there for Augustus, no matter what. He is reliable and is determined to have strong relationships with all of his friends. Unfortunately, this can sometimes lead to Isaac getting hurt. Isaac put all of his love into his relationship with Monica. He supported her and cared for her unconditionally. He expected the same back from Monica, but this was not the case. Her love was not unconditional, and when Isaac became blind, she left him. The reader is left wondering whether this was from Monica being a bad friend or from fear.

Overall, Isaac is an important part of the book, even if he isn't the main character. He teaches us to be a true friend and the meaning of friendship. He also shows how acting only on emotions isn't always a good thing.

The Perks of Being a Wallflower- Structure

The Perks of Being a Wallflower, is written as multiple letters from Charlie to the reader. This creates a really interesting novel because most stories aren't written like this. Having the entire story written in letters allows the reader to know all of Charlie's thoughts on an event. As Charlie writes, he shares his opinions and thoughts and really allows the reader to understand what is happening in his life. In his letters, he includes advice from other characters, allowing the minor characters to be characterized also. An example of how Charlie describes his thoughts to the reader is on page 138:
"I know that I brought this all on myself. I know that I deserve this. I'd do anything not to be this way."
This unique plot structure distinguishes the book from others and makes is a great novel to read.