Analyzing John Green

This is a final project blog for the Spring 2014 section of Young Adult Literature at Truman State University. Beware of spoilers for John Green's novels!

[fishingboatproceeds]

There is a post going around tumblr with tens of thousands of notes saying that I “announced” that a certain character in my book The Fault in Our Stars dies one year after the end of the book.

1. I have never said, written, or thought any such thing. (Photoshop is magic!)

2. If I had said, written, or thought any such thing (which, again, I did not), it would not become true. As you’ve probably heard me say a gajillion times, I don’t think the voice of the author should be privileged when it comes to matters outside a book’s text. So if I ever make such an “announcement,” I don’t think it should carry more weight than any other reader’s speculation.

I ended The Fault in Our Stars where I wanted to end it. I have never said anything about what might happen before or after what’s depicted in the book. I finished writing it, for better or for worse, and it now belongs to you.

[words-going-across-the-universe]

"Thomas Edison’s last words were ‘It’s very beautiful over there.’ I don’t know where there is, but I believe it’s somewhere, and I hope it’s beautiful."

John Green, Looking for Alaska

[i-am-indiestructable]

[paperingtowns]

you will go to paper towns and never come back

[lesjuno]

I just want you to be happy. If that’s with me or with somebody else or with nobody. I just want you to be happy. I just want you to be okay with life. With life as it is.

Will Grayson, Will Grayson, John Green & David Levithan

[johngreenquotes]

No no no. I don’t want to screw you. I just love you. When did who you want to screw become the whole game? Since when is the person you want to screw the only person you get to love?

-John Green, Will Grayson, Will Grayson

[stranger-chads]

[budinmonzon-deactivated20191001]

[lonely-lioness-deactivated20160]

[bookmania]

It is easy to forget how full the world is of people, full to bursting, and each of them imaginable and consistently misimagined.

John Green, Paper Towns

[observando]

When things break, it’s not the actual breaking that prevents them from getting back together again. It’s because a little piece gets lost - the two remaining ends couldn’t fit together even if they wanted to. The whole shape has changed.

John Green, Will Grayson, Will Grayson

[ahopelesswallflower]

"You can see how fake it all is. It’s not even hard enough to be made out of plastic. It’s a paper town. I mean, look at it, Q: look at all those culs-de-sac, those streets that turn in on themselves, all the houses that were built to fall apart. All those paper people living in their paper houses, burning the future to stay warm. All the paper kids drinking beer some bum bought for them at the paper convenience store. Everyone demented with the mania of owning things. All the things paper-thin and paper-frail. And all the people, too. I’ve lived here for eighteen years and I have never once in my life come across anyone who cares about anything that matters." - John Green, Paper Towns

[whitepaperquotes]

[daydreams-aw4y]

This made me very happy.

[mariaangelicaaster]

[analyzingjohngreen]

Tropes in "The Fault in Our Stars"

Under the cut are descriptions of four prominent tropes present in John Green’s The Fault in Our Stars. Beware of spoilers!

Manic pixie dream boy: It isn't often that readers encounter a manic pixie dream person that isn't a girl, but in this novel, this trope is realized by one Augustus Waters. He shows up in Hazel's life just at the right time, first as a new friend, but soon as a love interest. They bond over their illnesses, and Hazel is changed by knowing him. Even though Augustus reveals that his cancer has returned and that the situation is dire, Hazel still says in her eulogy that he has given her "a forever in the numbered days," and she will always be grateful for that and will always love him.

Black comedy / disabled snarker: In a book about kids with cancer, it would be extremely surprising to not include jokes about the disease and snarky characters. Augustus, Hazel and Isaac all fall under the category of disabled snarker, because they all contribute to the jokes and sass prevalent throughout the novel. These elements are very important to the novel because they make it easier (just a little) to read through the devastating last half of the novel.

Big damn kiss: All the tension between Hazel and Augustus builds up to their trip to Amsterdam, and that's where they finally kiss. And they do it in the Anne Frank house in front of several strangers, no less. This is one of Green's only novels that includes such an important and obvious kiss, the others don't focus on these scenes quite as much, which makes this one stand out even more.

Mood whiplash: One of the most impactful moments of the novel comes just after Hazel and Augustus consummate their relationship in Amsterdam. Hazel is so happy, and so is the reader, but then Augustus reveals that his cancer has returned and spread everywhere, which means he's probably going to die very soon. It's an instant soul-crushing and devastating realization that hits Hazel and the reader like a ton of bricks and changes the tone of the book.

[analyzingjohngreen]

Tropes in "Will Grayson, Will Grayson"

Under the cut are descriptions of four prominent tropes present in John Green and David Levithan’s Will Grayson, Will Grayson. Beware of spoilers!

Note: The Will Grayson from Green's chapters will be referred to as Will #1, and the Will Grayson from Levithan's chapters will be called Will #2.

Will They or Won't They: Throughout the novel, Will #1 shows an interest in Jane, but he lives by a couple of rules-- don't care too much, and shut up. These rules hinder him from moving forward with a relationship with Jane, and so does the appearance of her douchey water-polo-playing boyfriend. Will #1 and Jane decide their relationship is kind of like Schrodinger's cat because they don't know if it is "alive or dead."

Love before first sight: The modern, technology-fueled example of this trope is alive and well in the relationship between Will #2 and Isaac. Will #2 even says at the end of his first chapter that he is in love with Isaac, a boy he has only ever chatted with online. He says their conversations are the only things that keep him sane during bad days and times when he is feeling particularly low. He is devastated to learn that Isaac is actually his friend Maura, 

All gays love theater: One of the main plot lines of this book is Tiny's theater production. He, obviously, loves theater, which fulfills this trope. However, Will #2 subverts the trope because he isn't really interested in theater, even though he helps Tiny with his musical when he's having trouble. He does this, and sees the show, because he loved Tiny.

Supporting leader: Green has said that he thinks Tiny is the real main character of the series rather than either of the Wills. Even though he is not a narrator, we get glimpses into his life through both of the Wills. We know that he has a strong personality, that he likes football and theater, and that he falls in love easily and often. And Will #1 says near the end of the book that he wants to be the main character in his own life, per se, because he thinks Tiny plays such a huge role in it.