In the novels The Fault in Our Stars, Still Alice, and Tuesdays with Morrie
In the novels The Fault in Our Stars by John Green, Still Alice by Lisa Genova, and Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom, the authors unsurprisingly portray suffering, the concept of death and mortality, love and personal relationship as the prominent part of all the characters’ lives throughout the different stories.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
For instance, John Green in his work The Fault in Our Stars describes the lives of kids dying of cancer and going through ‘losses” along with their lives. The three main characters Hazel, Isaac, and Augustus go through both emotional and physical pain as they lose some parts of their bodies.
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
Moreover, Mitch Albom in his nonfiction work Tuesdays with Morrie, he highlights on the lessons he learned from his professor Morrie Schwartz as the latter was dying from a neurological problem. Through his once a week session with his beloved former professor, Mitch gathers a lot of significant information about life, relationship, love, and the inevitability of mortality. During the “lessons”, Albom learns that people lose their emotional health as they are busy chasing their personal desires.
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
In addition, in Lisa Genova's novel Still Alice, the main character doctor Alice Howland goes through challenges with the Alzheimer's disease, she loses her family as her relationship with the children, husband, and herself is completely changed over time.
Although the characters of the three novels travel paths of loss, in the end, each follows the same path of hope: through building new relationships, understand their mortality, and accepting what life has given them.
Tuesdays with Morrie by Mitch Albom
In his nonfiction work, Tuesdays with Morrie Mitch Albom portrays a picture of how much time he had lost in all the period he had immersed himself in the day to day activities while forgetting the very same reason for his existence. However, the author of this nonfictional novel indicates how Morrie's encouragement enabled him to realize the significance of love, relationship, and the inevitability of death.
Lessons from Mitch's Professor
Moreover, as the story develops; Mitch portrays himself as an individual that has changed his perception on work and the significance of recovering the time he lost at work while forgetting the things that should have made him proud of having lived his life to the fullest. Every moment the author visited his sick former professor and engages in lengthy conversation about life, his view of how much he had lost and the things he missed in life while he was busy working becomes more lucid.
For him, he was surprised when professor Morrie revealed to him that death should not be feared, but rather should be warmly welcomed and embraced. In their conversation, Mitch's mentor explains to him that as long as there is a combination of love, fulfillment in life, and support from people that surround you, anyone can be in a position to openly accept death.
This statement is supported in the context where professor Morrie is quoted stating that, “once you learn how to die, you learn how to live” (Albom 82). The major lesson that the author learns from the sessions with his professor is that once an individual learns and accept the fact that he/she is going to die and that if he/she has people around who show care and love, then, he/she can live his/her life to the fullest without ever regretting losing anything over the course of his/her existence. This notion can be supported in the text when Morrie stated that, “the most significant aspect of life is to understand how to offer love and to accept it come in" (Albom 52).
Although professor Morrie agrees with the fact that he has moments of grievances in his life, he offers Mitch a reason to smile despite the fact that he has lost a lot of time by encouraging him to always avoid feeling sorry for himself, but rather focus on finding the inner peace in his life and cherish the little time he has with the people that matter in his life. In one particular instance, Morrie states that "I offer myself a decent cry if I require it; however, I do focus on the things that are still good in my life” (Albom 57).
As the narrator sees his mentor die, he realized that, like his professor, he wants to leave this world knowing that he has not lost any precious moment, but rather he has lived his life to the fullest without any regrets. Moreover, the author acknowledges that he wanted by the time of his death, he has loved and forgiven himself for any wrongdoings he has committed to others as sincerely as he could. At the end of the novel, Mitch sees in Morrie an individual that he wants to be, a person that values love, positive relationship with other members of society against money and superficial vanity.
Through the influence of his mentor, the author is encouraged to love, develop a positive connection with other members of the society and avoid the veneer toughness he had exhibited for years. The lesson that Mitch learns from professor Morrie on developing a positive relationship culminates from one quote in which he stated that “there is no principle for interactions. They have to be talked out in affectionate approaches, with each party given an opportunity of stating what they want and require, what they are capable of doing, and the nature of their life” (Albom 178). In this regard, Mitch learns that by living his life to the fullest and making up for the loss, he will openly accept death and he would not fear it. This statement is supported in Morrie’s quote which stated that "don't let go too early but should not hang for too long" (Albom 162).
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
In the novel, “The Fault in Our Stars”, the author, John Green describes the lives of the three main characters, Isaac, Augustus, and Hazel and the pain and losses they endured in their lives.
Hazel's Pain
For instance, the Hazel lungs were filled with fluid that was built up, which in return deprived her of oxygen. As a result of the pain that she went through, Hazel is forced to be admitted to the emergency unit.
Isaac's Rejection
In addition, Hazel's friend, Isaac faced an instant discrimination and rejection from his girlfriend after he lost his remaining eye which deemed him blind.
Augustus's Deteriorating Health
Moreover, the author explains how the physical health of Augustus drastically deteriorated to the point that he was forced to take pain medications that left him nearly incoherent. In his description, John provides a picture of a broken August who felt that he would never be able to accomplish the heroic acts that he yearned to do in his life. Augustus’s dream of becoming a hero before he became terminally ill is exhibited when he is quoted stating that, “are there any Nazis that remained that I could hunt down and bring him to justice” (Green 85).
As the novel progresses, the characters, particularly Augustus and Hazel acknowledge that the pain and losses they have incurred are a part of their lives or rather a side effect of living. Thus, as time goes, the characters realize that certain misfortunes in life are inevitable and cannot be prevented. This argument is supported by Hazel’s statement which is quoted as, “The oblivion is inevitable, and we are all condemned, and there will be a time when all our labor will be returned to dust, and the sun will swallow the earth” (Green 66).
The concept of death and immortality engulf the characters, particularly Hazel, who worries that she will bring forth unbearable pain and suffering to the people around her when she dies. However, Hazel does not die but rather her friend Augustus succumbs to cancer. The demise of Augustus brings Hazel into the term with the issue of death, and she later admits that mortality is universal, and everyone will one day experience it. At the end of the novel, Hazel reads Augustus’s letter that was addressed to Van Houten, and it reveals to her that the pain that an individual causes to those close to them after he/she dies is a mark that indicates that he/she mattered to their lives.
In his last words through the letter, Augustus happily reveals that although he had left “scar” in Hazel’s heart, he will be immortalized in her life. On the other hand, the pain that Augustus left in Hazel’s life acted as a source of joy for her as exhibited when she touches on this notion during Augustus’s eulogy. This statement is supported by Hazel's quote during the eulogy, which stated that “there is a quotation in Augustus’s room, one that we found soothing: without pain, we could not understand joy” (Green 112).
Still Alice by Lisa Genova
In Lisa Genova’s book “Still Alice,” the author portrays the loss the main character endured when she suffered from Alzheimer’s disease and her consequent disability.
The Changing Relationship with Alice's Husband
When two individuals wed, they make vows promising each other to always stand for each other in either good or bad times. However, more than often, most individuals do forget, particularly during difficult times. In this work, Genova outlines the life of the main character, Alice, and her wedded husband John, whom together were blessed with three beautiful children. Before she started falling sick, Alice and her entire family had each other, and life was nearly "perfect". However, as Genova describes, when Alzheimer's disease entered into Alice's life, her husband started alienating her. In the process, Alice is left by her husband while excusing himself with work-related issues.
The Relationship with Her Daughter
All the characters in Genova's novel take their career with a lot of seriousness that they forget to spend time together as a family. However, unlike the other members of the family, Lydia takes a different career destiny. According to Lydia, taking much of the time conducting studies on her tender age would be a waste of worthy time, and thus, she opted to follow her acting passion. The career choice taken by Lydia causes a stir between her and her mother Alice. This was exhibited in the conversation between the two ladies when Alice suggested that the choice her daughter had made was fit for the family. Alice is quoted saying that "I don't want you to become me, but rather I want you to limit your choices" (Genova 17).
Alice's Reflection on Lost Time
The onset of Alzheimer's into Alice's life consumes her life internally as she feels that she has spent most of her time traveling and attending work-related meetings while forgetting the very essence of her existence and the creation of a positive relationship with her family. As her situation worsens, Alice feels that she had lost a lot of precious time chasing after worldly things and she would soon be gone and leave her family with sorrow. Moreover, she was even more worried that her condition was genetically inherited and her daughter Anna would be in her condition one day, yet she had "forced" her to follow her workaholic footsteps (Genova 109).
Hope and Love
However, despite the challenges and the loss she goes through, finally, Alice feels hopeful as the once-entangled relationship between her and her daughter Lydia drastically improves. This notion is supported at the end of the book when the author describes that despite the fact that Alice's relationship with her family members had deteriorated, their association is strengthened as seen when Lydia reached out and held her mother's hand and gave out a smile as she squeezed it. Although Alzheimer's disease contributed to the loss of Alice's memory, her connection with Lydia and the feeling of love from her daughter as she kissed her on the cheek and smiled. This notion is exhibited at the end of the novel when Lydia, who had turned to be the best companion to her sick mother, asked her what she felt and she responded that, "I feel love. It's about love" (Genova 175).
In Conclusion
In a concluding remark, almost all the characters in the three novels have exhibited a feeling of satisfaction, love, and companionship at the end of their lives despite the loss they incurred. Thus, there is a striking similarity on how certain characters are immortalized among the living despite their disappearance. For instance, Morrie's lessons are immortalized in Mitch's life, and he further positively changed his mind on how he viewed particular aspects of life, such leading a positive relationship with his loved ones.
In addition, the last moments exhibited by the other two characters, Augustus and Alice, are an indication that indeed, despite the loss, in the end, each follows the same path of hope: through building new relationships, understand their mortality, and accepting what life has given them.
Works Cited
Albom, Mitch. Tuesdays with Morrie. Brilliance Corp, 1997.
Genova, Lisa. Still Alice: A Novel. Pocket Books, 2009.
Green, John. The Fault in Our Stars. Dutton Books, 2012.
