Here I go again…reading something and managing to pull some sort of feminist analysis out of it whether or not the work demands it. If you have not been following my English career since sophomore year, then you likely do not have the slightest clue what I’m talking about. But trust me when I say it’s true. I’m intrigued by feminism and I write about it...often. Feminism or lack thereof is not often discussed in regards to John Green’s popular young adult novel The Fault in Our Stars, perhaps because of the many other large themes it embraces; however, because it influences so many young women and men who read it (and me just being me), I think that it is important to discuss.
So here’s what I say about The Fault in Our Stars… Go, John Green go! The ways in which this novel’s brilliant author both honors and subverts traditional gender roles, in my opinion, quite accurately reflects the reality of modern day society. He both supports and rejects feminism while doing the same with post-feminism, consequently producing a story about men and women quite similar to those we see today, with women in a limbo between having just won a war and preparing for another (arguably ongoing) battle.
Firstly, it merely takes a page or two of reading the first chapter to recognize Hazel’s uncanny, witty intelligence. It does not waver throughout the entire novel. The girl has goals. She’s smart. She, even with her disease, is ambitious, as evinced by her visit to Amsterdam and fearlessness in standing up to the author of her favorite book, An Imperial Affliction, as he drunkenly insults her. While this claim is unsubstantiated, I feel certain that she would make a wonderful career-woman as she aptly demonstrates the intellectual requirements of doing so and can clearly hold with the wits of any man, even the astute young Mr. Augustus Waters.
After filtering through my “feminism in TFIOS” Google search, I stumbled upon one of the (very) few articles I found which argued that the relationship between Gus and Hazel was unrealistic and therefore, antifeminist. The author of this blog, one of two students at Kalamazoo College, Amy or Audrey, states the following: “to me, a big part of feminism is portraying girls, noticeably in relationships, as realistic human beings, and Hazel and Augustus’ smooth, effortless banter and their ability to speak freely about their emotions doesn’t strike me as a very accurate portrayal of young love.” Not to get too personal on you, but I have been in a relationship with a very intelligent young man for about two years now. Our conversations often encompass more intellectual topics such as politics, social issues, current events, and the opinions and stances that we take in all such matters. We also are fully able to discuss our emotions with each other. These discussions and less serious ones often involve quick banter similar to that seen between Hazel and Augustus. So while I concede that “wit, intelligence, and self-assured[ness]” may not be characteristics seen in every young man and woman, nonetheless ones in a relationship, I do not think that they are unrealistic or bad attributes for Green to encourage young people to achieve.
So while I would argue that Augustus and Hazel’s relationship is a feminist one, I believe that Green also adds a touch of post-feminism in regard to Hazel’s parents. For one, Hazel’s mother is the one staying home to take care of her. This reflects post-feminism as it demonstrates a woman’s choice to remain at home to care after her children while her husband earns a living. In a similarly post-feminist way, Green characterizes Hazel’s father as the more emotional of her parents, arguably subverting traditional gender roles and society accepting it as such. In my opinion, however, this is where the post-feminism ends and the feminism begins again, as near the end of the novel we learn that Hazel’s mother is earning her master’s degree in preparation to attain a job of her own.
Overall, I appreciate Green’s attention to encouraging young women and men towards intelligence and outlining characters with both feminist and post-feminist attributes. I personally believe that there is a slightly more feminist undertone throughout the novel; however, I understand that this is an arguable point which, as far as I can tell, has not been greatly discussed. Please leave your comments below. I would love to hear your opinions and ideas.
So here’s what I say about The Fault in Our Stars… Go, John Green go! The ways in which this novel’s brilliant author both honors and subverts traditional gender roles, in my opinion, quite accurately reflects the reality of modern day society. He both supports and rejects feminism while doing the same with post-feminism, consequently producing a story about men and women quite similar to those we see today, with women in a limbo between having just won a war and preparing for another (arguably ongoing) battle.
Firstly, it merely takes a page or two of reading the first chapter to recognize Hazel’s uncanny, witty intelligence. It does not waver throughout the entire novel. The girl has goals. She’s smart. She, even with her disease, is ambitious, as evinced by her visit to Amsterdam and fearlessness in standing up to the author of her favorite book, An Imperial Affliction, as he drunkenly insults her. While this claim is unsubstantiated, I feel certain that she would make a wonderful career-woman as she aptly demonstrates the intellectual requirements of doing so and can clearly hold with the wits of any man, even the astute young Mr. Augustus Waters.
After filtering through my “feminism in TFIOS” Google search, I stumbled upon one of the (very) few articles I found which argued that the relationship between Gus and Hazel was unrealistic and therefore, antifeminist. The author of this blog, one of two students at Kalamazoo College, Amy or Audrey, states the following: “to me, a big part of feminism is portraying girls, noticeably in relationships, as realistic human beings, and Hazel and Augustus’ smooth, effortless banter and their ability to speak freely about their emotions doesn’t strike me as a very accurate portrayal of young love.” Not to get too personal on you, but I have been in a relationship with a very intelligent young man for about two years now. Our conversations often encompass more intellectual topics such as politics, social issues, current events, and the opinions and stances that we take in all such matters. We also are fully able to discuss our emotions with each other. These discussions and less serious ones often involve quick banter similar to that seen between Hazel and Augustus. So while I concede that “wit, intelligence, and self-assured[ness]” may not be characteristics seen in every young man and woman, nonetheless ones in a relationship, I do not think that they are unrealistic or bad attributes for Green to encourage young people to achieve.
So while I would argue that Augustus and Hazel’s relationship is a feminist one, I believe that Green also adds a touch of post-feminism in regard to Hazel’s parents. For one, Hazel’s mother is the one staying home to take care of her. This reflects post-feminism as it demonstrates a woman’s choice to remain at home to care after her children while her husband earns a living. In a similarly post-feminist way, Green characterizes Hazel’s father as the more emotional of her parents, arguably subverting traditional gender roles and society accepting it as such. In my opinion, however, this is where the post-feminism ends and the feminism begins again, as near the end of the novel we learn that Hazel’s mother is earning her master’s degree in preparation to attain a job of her own.
Overall, I appreciate Green’s attention to encouraging young women and men towards intelligence and outlining characters with both feminist and post-feminist attributes. I personally believe that there is a slightly more feminist undertone throughout the novel; however, I understand that this is an arguable point which, as far as I can tell, has not been greatly discussed. Please leave your comments below. I would love to hear your opinions and ideas.