The Marriage of Fate and Free Will
The Marriage of Fate and Free Will
The common definition of a hero is often skewed and misconceived. Heroes are usually viewed as supernatural, divine individuals who live to fight evil for the good of everyone else or at the very least, the damsel in distress. However, when one pauses to examine this definition more closely, a modern hero can be someone who has positively impacted someone else’s life. Certainly, modern literature challenges this archaic and irrelevant definition. John Green is no exception, his The Fault in Our Stars presents Augustus Waters as a hero, not so much for his superhuman strength or ability to rescue a beautiful woman from a burning building, but rather his ability to positively impact the life of someone else. In their own ways, Isaac and Hazel are affected and eternally changed by Augustus’ bravery, very personal struggle and the legacy he leaves behind.
To begin, just like any amputee who has overcome cancer; without even knowing him, Augustus Waters would be commended for his bravery simply because of what he must go through and what he has had to overcome. Isaac and Hazel are inspired by Augustus in the way he deals with both his personal struggles as well as their own. One of Augustus’ strengths is his ability to easily and naturally help others cope with personal, physical and psychological hardships. This is not to say that Augustus rids Isaac and Hazel of their pain and trauma from cancer, he does however, veer their attention
away from their illnesses and encourages them to focus on the more important aspects of life like essentially living their lives while they still can. While Isaac is faced with his final days of sight, Augustus makes sure that, rather than feel sorry for himself and dwelling on the reality of the situation, he encourages Isaac to go out and fully participate in life while he can still see. For example, Gus plays videogames with Isaac and this serves as an escape the real world and helped Isaac
The common definition of a hero is often skewed and misconceived. Heroes are usually viewed as supernatural, divine individuals who live to fight evil for the good of everyone else or at the very least, the damsel in distress. However, when one pauses to examine this definition more closely, a modern hero can be someone who has positively impacted someone else’s life. Certainly, modern literature challenges this archaic and irrelevant definition. John Green is no exception, his The Fault in Our Stars presents Augustus Waters as a hero, not so much for his superhuman strength or ability to rescue a beautiful woman from a burning building, but rather his ability to positively impact the life of someone else. In their own ways, Isaac and Hazel are affected and eternally changed by Augustus’ bravery, very personal struggle and the legacy he leaves behind.
To begin, just like any amputee who has overcome cancer; without even knowing him, Augustus Waters would be commended for his bravery simply because of what he must go through and what he has had to overcome. Isaac and Hazel are inspired by Augustus in the way he deals with both his personal struggles as well as their own. One of Augustus’ strengths is his ability to easily and naturally help others cope with personal, physical and psychological hardships. This is not to say that Augustus rids Isaac and Hazel of their pain and trauma from cancer, he does however, veer their attention
away from their illnesses and encourages them to focus on the more important aspects of life like essentially living their lives while they still can. While Isaac is faced with his final days of sight, Augustus makes sure that, rather than feel sorry for himself and dwelling on the reality of the situation, he encourages Isaac to go out and fully participate in life while he can still see. For example, Gus plays videogames with Isaac and this serves as an escape the real world and helped Isaac