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In chapter 8, Hazel mentions the book again as she says that she wants to be alive even for a week just to know the story of An Imperial Affliction. This appeared
after she got a sudden health attack that fulfills her lungs with water. She is hopeless after her health turned to be bad and her trip to Amsterdam is threatened to be
canceled. This condition reflects how much the novel meant for her. The novel itself turned into her imaginary goal where she wants to strive for.
Adler’s concept of imaginary goal is the idea the human behavior is directed toward his own future goal
of its own making Hall and Lindzey, 1981:122. That is why after this incident she tries to convince her doctors that she is capable of making the trip, although her
health did not good enough for her as she wants to know how the novel ends to fulfill her own goals.
2. Making her parents happy
In the beginning of The Fault in Our Stars novel, Hazel mentions her feelings about being a depressed girl:
Late in the winter of my seventeenth year, my mother decided I was depressed, presumably because I rarely left the house, spent quite a lot of
time in bed, read the same book over and over, ate infrequently, and devoted quite a bit of my abundant free time to thinking about death.
I hadn’t been in proper school in three years. My parents were my two best
friends. My third best friend was an author who did not know I existed.
Green, 2012:1 This line shows Hazel state of feelings in the beginning of the novel. As a girl
who suffers from cancer, she becomes more vulnerable to this kind of feeling. She
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knows that her mom thinks that she was depressed, as she often thinking about death. As a teenager, that means so much to her and she realizes where she is, no friends, no
boyfriends and dying all time. Her life will be completely empty if she did not have her parents.
From the explanation above, it can be concluded that Hazel is suffered from inferiority feeling. Hall and Lindzey 1985: 147 state that inferiority means feeling
weak and unskilled in completing the tasks that need to be accomplished. It is an expression of an individual perception due to a condition, which is caused by inability
or imperfection feeling. The inferiority feeling often leads people in destructing themselves, as they believe that they are relying on something which is not good
enough for them. Hazel believes that she is relying on something that did not mean for her, her parents. In that case, she strives for her own power as she wants to be
acknowledged by her parents about her needs. It is clear that her needs are not fulfilled, because of her physical limitations and she lacks common knowledge about
being a teenager.
“If you want me to be a teenager, don’t send me to Support Group. Buy me a fake ID so I can go to clubs, drink vodka, and take the pot
.” Green, 2012:1
The quotation indicates how her expectation of being a teenager is different from her parents. Her parents want her to go to support group, but she did not want
to. Besides, she wants to have a fake ID in order to go to clubs, drinking vodka and
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taking the pot. The idea of fake ID is based on her opinions about other teenagers with same age with her, and her mother said that it is wrong. She hasn’t gone to any
club or drinks vodka, but she wants her parents to fulfill her wish although her parents clearly did not agree with that.
In her daily life, Hazel fights her unaccompanied life by watching TV and reading books. She likes to watch
America’s Next Top Model and sometimes reminds her mother to record it when she is not at home. She mentions it as she said:
“I refuse to attend Support Group.” Mom: “One of the symptoms of depression is disinterest in activities.” Me:
“Please just let me watch America’s Next Top Model. It’s an activity.”
Green, 2012:1
Hazel’s favorite activities are different from the other teenagers, as the others may prefer to go outside and socialize. Her inferiority feeling limits her movements
and activities, which automatically align her position in her companionship with other. Her physical condition also forces her to leave home the entire day and, she
almost did not have a plan to go somewhere. This activity gradually becomes her style of life, as she spends almost of all her time in the home.
Style of life is the taste of a person’s life, including the person’s goal, self- concept, feelings toward others, and attitude toward the world. Feist 1985:74 states
it is the product of the interaction of genetics, environment, and goal of success, social interest, and creative power.
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Hazel’s style of life is explained in the novel, where she did not have anything about her health condition and nothing she can do about it. Her life completely
depends on medicine and medical treatments. This condition places almost all of her time at home, doing the same routine all day to keep her health stable. It can be said
that her health forces her to do things that she did not like to do, such doctor visits and attends the support group.
But my mom believed I required treatment, so she took me to see my Regular Doctor Jim,
who agreed that I was veritably swimming in a paralyzing and
totally clinical depression and that, therefore, my meds should be adjusted and also I should attend a weekly Support Group.
Green, 2012:1
Almost all of her activity involves her parents, which made a strong bond between them. The same routines she doing every day has become her style of life, as
it embraces her unique pattern of traits, behaviors, and habits which define the taste of her existence. Ryckman 1985: 98 states that the style of life, originally called
“life plan” or “guiding image” refers to the unique ways in which people pursue their goal.
I just kind of crawled across the couch into her lap and my dad came over and held my legs really tight and I wrapped my arms all the way around
my moms middle and they held on to me for hours while the tide rolled in.
Green, 2012:21 The quotation abov
e describes Hazel’s feeling toward her parents. She is thankful for having her parents. Their caring and love are what she needs most after
