Global Read Aloud 2014 discussion

Sometimes there's more to literature than what meets the eye. If a word, phrase, situation, or object appears in the story repeatedly, it is likely to mean something more than what it literally is. What potential symbols have you spotted in the novel?

A phrase i think that kept popping up was the cigarette it was used as a metaphor, for Augustus Waters to show that he has defeat cancer and that it won't overcome him again, The cigarette kept popping up in all kinds of conversations, and chapters! I find it funny why they would use a cigarette is because Augustus is paying a company that has the main cause of cancer, Augustus had cancer?, and he uses cigarettes to show that he defeat cancer!

In my words the phrase that kept repeating was the cancer perk. I think the author made that statement keep on repeating is because the way people treat cancer patience shows how badly they are suffering with their sickness and how serious it is. So that is why they let the cancer patience get what they want because in general they don't have that much time to live,so they get the easy way in life but also a hard way of life.

The phrase that I noticed that was repeatedly noticed was the "grenade" phrase. I noticed in the story, Hazel said repeatedly that she was a grenade. Hazel said that that she would eventually blow up and minimize the casualties. I think it means that she is comparing herself to a grenade because one day she will "explode" like a grenade which will cause pain to her loved ones.

One of the Symbols in TF'OS was An Imperial Affliction. In the story Hazel and Augustus both like the book, but hate how it ends. They both want to find out how it ends and what happens to Anna's mother and if the Dutch Tulip Mans is an imposter. I think the reason that Hazel likes the book in the first place is because she sees it as a reference to her own life and that her and Anna are really alike.

I think something that showed up every now and then was when Hazel always brought up support group, aka, "The Heart Of Jesus." I think this shows up a lot because Patrick and some of the other Support Group attendees find it uplifting and comforting to be in the presence of Jesus BUT Hazel and Augustus find the whole thing depressing.To Hazel, the Heart of Jesus is a confining, suffocating place where they are defined by their illness. Some people believe hardcore about Jesus and pray to him that the illness will leave them..where others don't believe and think it's jibberish.