The Fault in Our Stars
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Does anyone get the title?
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Alice
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Mar 19, 2013 02:57PM
I loved this book but was confused with the title. What does "The Fault in Our Stars" have to do with this?
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I thought the book was too similar to Jodie Picoults My Sisters Keeper but I beleive that the title is to do with a quote within the book.
I took it to me the future is in the stars, so it is the fault of the stars that caused their cancer - but that is just hypothesizing
Peter Von Houten said to Augustus in his letter:"Were she better, or you sicker, then the stars would not be so terribly crossed, but it is the nature of stars to cross, and never was Shakespeare more wrong than when he had Cassius note, ‘The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars/But in ourselves" Peter was saying that the fault is in the nature of things..not in how you do them, or even just in yourself generally. This becomes important because it was "fate s fault" when Augustus died, not Gus' fault. So therefore, the Fault is In Our Stars, and we can do nothing about it. We don't have a choice in the matter. (Make sense now?)
I do agree that the above comments are great ways at viewing the title, but I think there can be several meanings to it rather than just one. Everyone may not have the same point of view. Look at it this way: All of us are made of stardust, correct? Yes. Well maybe we can be deemed as stars on Earth. And the other stars/people closest to us can be seen as our stars. The fault in them is that they burn out, they die. Some before others, but everyone will eventually be subject to the same fate. It's a fault that we all possess and cannot stop.
Although I know what the book says might not fully support my view, it's still the way I see it. I didn't think about the title all too much. But when I did, what I said above is what came to mind.
It's just a poetic way of saying "Our Really Bad Luck." The Shakespeare quote mentioned above is based on the idea that the stars influence human fortunes - which is what astrology and horoscopes are based on.
I agree, there can be several meanings to the title, I thought that it reflected the unfortunate circumstances in the novel that the characters could not control. The fault for Hazel and Augustus's cancer could only be in our stars.
I think it has to do with some type of astrology thing.
And remember the quote from the waiter in Amsterdam about Dom Perignon saying he was drinking the stars when he tasted champagne. I agree with several people above, the title is as multi-layered as the book itself.
as much as i like Shakespeare's quote, that kind of thinking has gotten, honestly, oldso i agree with the Peter Van Houten's disagreement with him about it..
because to me, everything that happens to us, happens because it's what God has planned for us (i'm Muslim so i think like that)
sometimes we make mistakes, but only because we were meant to make these mistakes
What if "The Fault in Our Stars" was called that because Hazel’s zodiac sign is cancer, and then Hazel got cancer, and it's her star sign that caused it - which is a fault - and that's why it's called "The Fault in Our Stars."
There as so many thought-provoking answers for this beautiful book and title!
so many answers, so many infinitites!AH. LOVE THE BOOK. The title is a metaphor.
The title comes from the quote, "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, for we are underlings." That is Julius Ceasar by William Shakespeare, and so the title basically means that the fault was, in fact, in Hazel and August's stars. They are far from underlings, I think.
I also think it has to do with the Shakespeare quote...then I think he intentionally refers to the bubbles in the champagne as stars since it's special to them. Very clever.
Tyler wrote: "I also think it has to do with the Shakespeare quote...then I think he intentionally refers to the bubbles in the champagne as stars since it's special to them. Very clever."Emily wrote: "The title comes from the quote, "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars, but in ourselves, for we are underlings." That is Julius Ceasar by William Shakespeare, and so the title basically mean..."
EXACTLY WHAT I MEANT WHEN I SAID:
Peter Von Houten said to Augustus in his letter:
"Were she better, or you sicker, then the stars would not be so terribly crossed, but it is the nature of stars to cross, and never was Shakespeare more wrong than when he had Cassius note, ‘The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars/But in ourselves" Peter was saying that the fault is in the nature of things..not in how you do them, or even just in yourself generally. This becomes important because it was "fate s fault" when Augustus died, not Gus' fault. So therefore, the Fault is In Our Stars, and we can do nothing about it. We don't have a choice in the matter.
Lennie wrote: "If you do not understand why the title portains to this book, then you either didn't pay attention while reading it, or you shouldn't read stuff too complicated for you."
Hahahahaha, exactly what I thought when I read the discussion title.
Hahahahaha, exactly what I thought when I read the discussion title.
Jennifer wrote: "Peter Von Houten said to Augustus in his letter:"Were she better, or you sicker, then the stars would not be so terribly crossed, but it is the nature of stars to cross, and never was Shakespeare ..."
this is also my hypothesis when i first read this book:) i really like how the author created the title. it's awesome:)
Jennifer wrote: "Peter Von Houten said to Augustus in his letter:"Were she better, or you sicker, then the stars would not be so terribly crossed, but it is the nature of stars to cross, and never was Shakespeare ..."
well said. :))
Lennie wrote: "If you do not understand why the title portains to this book, then you either didn't pay attention while reading it, or you shouldn't read stuff too complicated for you."you go girl!
Bazinga wrote: "Lennie wrote: "If you do not understand why the title portains to this book, then you either didn't pay attention while reading it, or you shouldn't read stuff too complicated for you."you go girl!"
I agree!
The fault in their stars was not something that was their fault, not something they could change, not something they had any influence over. The fault in their stars was just the inevitable. It was just the course nature had already laid out for them.
Jennifer wrote: "Tyler wrote: "I also think it has to do with the Shakespeare quote...then I think he intentionally refers to the bubbles in the champagne as stars since it's special to them. Very clever."Emily ..."
Agreed
but alsoI think the title is in that way
The Fault in our stars
The Fault in our destiny
The destiny is written in the stars as they have said a LONG TIME AGO
but i think that's it :)
LOVING some of the answers up there.
Ali wrote: "I loved this book but was confused with the title. What does "The Fault in Our Stars" have to do with this?"I think it means that destiny isn't on their side
we have some geniuses around here.^
I agree with most of the comments, the title is perfect.
I agree with most of the comments, the title is perfect.
It relates to Shakespeare's "star crossed lovers" from Romeo and Juliet.
Travis wrote: "I do agree that the above comments are great ways at viewing the title, but I think there can be several meanings to it rather than just one. Everyone may not have the same point of view. Look a..."
That's so poetic! I'm taking that as my new point of view on the title!
Ali wrote: "I loved this book but was confused with the title. What does "The Fault in Our Stars" have to do with this?"I guess it's because they have no fault about having cancer, the fault is from their stars, they stars have decided for them to have cancer and that's it. (bad english, sorry)
Not a lot of Nerdfighters up in this thread, huh? In some of his videos John has said what many of you have already said, that its taken from the Julius Ceaser quote, and he, like Van Houten, disagrees with Shakespeare that fault lies with ourselves. It lies with our stars. We can't help what happens to us.
Even if you don't watch John's videos, it's pretty obvious from Van Houtens letter to Gus.
Although I was really interested in everyone's theories, definitely knowing is less fun than coming up with my own meanings.
Ana wrote: "Not a lot of Nerdfighters up in this thread, huh? In some of his videos John has said what many of you have already said, that its taken from the Julius Ceaser quote, and he, like Van Houten, disa..."
I'm a nerdfighter!
Some say that your fate lies in the stars. As there is loss in the book, and both Hazel and Gus have cancer, they feel like the stars are not in their favor; fate is against them. That is the fault in their stars; the fact that they cannot live healthy, full lives
It's based on the William Shakespeare quote: The Fault, Dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in ourselves.
I love that quote. You can dissect it to bits but even just as it is, it's beautiful.
Maggie wrote: "Some say that your fate lies in the stars. As there is loss in the book, and both Hazel and Gus have cancer, they feel like the stars are not in their favor; fate is against them. That is the fault..."I think that's true.
Maddie wrote: "It's based on the William Shakespeare quote: The Fault, Dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in ourselves.
I love that quote. You can dissect it to bits but even just as it is, it's beautiful."
The whole point, in my opinion, is that the opposite is true. Hazel and Gus are completely blameless that they have terminal illnesses so when he says its "A Fault in Our Stars" it means that their tragedies were up to fate and not by their own doing.
But then again some nerdfighter came up with it without reading the book yet so I guess it's really just up to interpretation. :)
John Green explained about the title on his website FAQs. For those who seek for the answers, it may be best to ponder about the title after you get the author's explanation.
The fault, dear Brutus, lies not in our stars, but in ourselves
Jennifer wrote: "Tyler wrote: "I also think it has to do with the Shakespeare quote...then I think he intentionally refers to the bubbles in the champagne as stars since it's special to them. Very clever."Emily ..."
Jennifer wrote: "Peter Von Houten said to Augustus in his letter:
"Were she better, or you sicker, then the stars would not be so terribly crossed, but it is the nature of stars to cross, and never was Shakespeare ..."
thanks for the explanation. Jonh Green is very clever
Phoebe wrote: "What if "The Fault in Our Stars" was called that because Hazel’s zodiac sign is cancer, and then Hazel got cancer, and it's her star sign that caused it - which is a fault - and that's why it's cal..."I really like this explanation :-) I love the book, but I did not think of the title in that way. It makes perfectly sense :-)
I think it refers to fate, like the fault in fate.I like the title name. I think it is suitable for the plot of the story, and it sounds quite nice.
It's a quote from the book
It's a John twist from the Romeo and Juliet famous saying about the "Star-crossed lovers" but he tweaked it to fit the cancerous and "faulted" plot. It isn't quite Romeo and Juliet, so its TFiOS, for they are star-crossed lovers that met at a gathering but both bare tragic health, one more than the other. There is the fault in their fate. I pieced it together at page 111 c: And yes, I am in highschool and read the Shakespearean tragedy. Have a great day!:D
I agree with many that their cancer was no fault of their own and that it was fate that they met. The stars were aligned. It was cancer that brought them together but what they did after that was completely in their control. They could choose to love or not to love. What Shakespeare meant when he said, "The Fault, Dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in ourselves" is that you control your destiny. It comes back to Hazel's several references in the book that she was a grenade. She had withdrawn from friends and school because of her fear of disappointing them when she eventually died. When she met Augustus she "decided" to allow herself to love. In the end her decision to love was only positive. It hurts to love and with every relationship comes some sort of heart ache.
i think that the reason it is called the fault in our stars is because supposedly everything is written in the stars. It was the fault of there stars that made those circumstances very difficult. We all have something in life we just don't know it yet and for hazel it was to meet him.
Phoebe wrote: "What if "The Fault in Our Stars" was called that because Hazel’s zodiac sign is cancer, and then Hazel got cancer, and it's her star sign that caused it - which is a fault - and that's why it's cal..."WOW I love the way you think !! Your way of thinking never crossed my mind !
But I don't think that's the reason, the book is deep so having a kind of shallow meaning to the title is unlikely, but you never know...
Jennifer wrote: "Peter Von Houten said to Augustus in his letter:"Were she better, or you sicker, then the stars would not be so terribly crossed, but it is the nature of stars to cross, and never was Shakespeare ..."
Yup
It's from Peter Van Douche's letter.
I agree with the quote from the book. But before I got to the quote in the book I thought that the title meant that everything has faults, even our seemingly perfect stars. This isn't the main idea of the book, but I think it relates.
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