Theme

**We Are Products of our Circumstance **
Through the novel we see the characters being pushed around by their circumstance. Hazel, Augustus, and Isaac, although they are very different people they all have one thing in common. They are irrecoverably sick. We read the tragedies of each character, all brought on by their diseases. Isaac is dumped by Monica because of his eye cancer. Hazel’s days are numbered and she is made out to be special, tragic and even beautiful because of her disease. Augustus got 17 when he should have gotten more, and died without dying for but instead died of. Van Houten who did not have an illness himself became a lost drunk because his daughter died of cancer. In the context of Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar “The fault dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves” makes sense, because their faults were brought on by a series of decisions that they made which led to their tragedy. Hazel, Augustus, Isaac, and Van Houten didn’t decide to associate with cancer, and they can’t hate or battle their cancer enough to rid their lives of it. If it is in their stars to be led to tragedy by their circumstance, they will face tragedy. It is comforting to believe you are in control of your life, but //The Fault in our Stars // argues we are evidently not. As some form of solace, it does state “that you don’t have a choice if you get hurt in this world, but you do have a say in who hurts you.”

q Regina Spektor's "Another Town"

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//In another town//- I associated with Hazel and Augustus going to another town very different from their average American town (Amsterdam).

//Don't let me forget//- I associated with Augustus not wanting to forget all the Otto Franks in the Anne Frank museum.

//Mouth full of regrets // //Please place final bets//- These two lines are reminiscent of Augustus explaining his recurrence to Hazel

//My soul feels so old//- This line is very much representative of how Augustus and Hazel must feel. At such a young age they are very wise because they have been required to think about death and life generally more critically.

//But I know I know I know // //I love you//- This is important later on in the book when Hazel tells Augustus that she loves him present tense.

//I'm drinking for free//- Associations can be made to Hazel and Augustus "drinking the stars" at oranjee.

 There were many songs that I could have chosen that were very similar to the book, but they were all had a sad or dreary mood. I do not feel like the mood of this book was overall sad or pessimistic so I picked a song that was generally pleasant but when back and forth between pleasant to somewhat sad. 

wwwwwwwwww

“The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars But in ourselves” Never was Shakespeare more wrong

<span style="display: block; font-family: Constantia,serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: center;">Almost everything is, really, A side effect: A paralyzing and totally clinical depression The acquaintance of Augustus Waters Cancer Perks Night of the Broken Trophies A malfunctioning G-Tube Death

<span style="display: block; font-family: Constantia,serif; font-size: 11pt; text-align: center;">So it goes: Isaac’s eyes, Michael’s and Jamie’s blood, Augustus’s bones, Hazel’s lungs, James’s throat. There is no shortage of fault to be found amid our stars.
 * <span style="font-family: Constantia,serif;">Works Cited **

<span style="font-family: Constantia,serif;">Katie. //Tragic by Circumstances Outside of Their Control//. 2012. Ink. Regina Spektor. "Another Town." //Begin to Hope//. Sire Records, 2006. MP3.