In John Green's The Fault in Our Stars, he poses the thought that one must suffer in order to live life. In all three cases, the teenagers Hazel, Augustus, and Isaac suffer from various inflictions of cancer. Hazel cannot breathe without the biPAP and a portable oxygen tank. Augustus has a prosthetic leg that he limps around with. Isaac loses sight in his one good eye to become cancer free. However, without modern medicine, they would not be alive. It is something they have all accepted as a part of their lives, that it is inescapable.
Green believes that the toughest pain is the pain of losing a loved one. Hazel fears that her death will cause destruction within her family. She worries her mom will not "be a mother anymore" (296), especially since her mother quit her job to take care of Hazel full-time. She is concerned that her father will become a Peter Van Houten after cancer has taken her life. This is reinforced by the fact that her father has tears in his eyes constantly. However, as her mother states, Hazel, of all people, know "it is possible to live with pain" (300). After a heart to heart with her parents, she realizes they will continue to live their lives after Hazel's inevitable death.
Hazel herself experiences losing a loved one. When she finds out Augustus has a limited time left on Earth, she understands the futility in "trying to save others from the impending fragmentation [of a grenade]: she can't unlove Augustus Waters" (214), nor does she want to. She understands that Augustus will leave an impact on her life. She will remember him long after he has died in his battle. Watching Augustus battle the cancer is hard for her, but she remains dedicated to him because she loves him. In a way, she empathizes with her parents because the role Hazel plays is different. Instead of Hazel the victim, it is Hazel the caretaker. While it is painful to love a person who is dying, she also finds great joy in their love.
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