The Fault in Our Stars by John Green has exploded onto the American cultural scene with its recent movie adaption. However, the book itself deals with many themes its readers say portray the love story of the protagonists Hazel and Augustus as true and undying love. This romantic tragedy may very well be remembered as a modern Romeo & Juliet, but the mere existence of tragedy does not mean love is eternal.
Hazel and Augustus, just like their predecessors Romeo and Juliet, experience hardships throughout their story that in the end prohibit their relationships from continuing. While many argue a relationship is possible through the course of both of these works, true love is not. Teenage love, a different type of love than true love, is achieved between both Hazel and Augustus and between Romeo and Juliet. Teenage love is a lustful concoction created by a mixture of different attractions (physical, emotional, intellectual), so it can be said that both of these couples most definitely have attractions for each other.
True love is not only attraction but also commitment and sacrifice. The truest loves are formed over a long time and through the furnace of hardship.These relationships simply do not last long enough to be considered a viable example of true love. Romeo and Juliet only knew each other for three days, so obviously they could never achieve the level of sacrifice and commitment needed to exemplify a relationship that could last a lifetime.
The closest Hazel and Augustus came to achieving any semblance of sacrifice is when Hazel remains loyal to Augustus throughout his deterioration at the end of the novel. She still comes to visit him even though it is clear he will not be able to give her anything in return. That is a glimpse of true love. Up until that point, every selfless act in The Fault in Our Stars could be traced back to some selfish reason. Augustus’s seemingly heroic act to take Hazel to Amsterdam is partly selfless, but he is still rewarded with sexual favors from Hazel.
Time is what Hazel and Augustus need to form a bond that could last a lifetime. Without the burden of a loyal relationship over time, no relationship can ever exemplify true love.
American Cultural Icons 