Hazel Grace Slothcaster

In the novel, The Fault in Our Stars, the protagonist is Hazel Grace Lancaster, who is a cancerous teenage girl with a pessimistic mind and an avid love of books. I think that if Hazel was an animal that she would be best portrayed by a sloth. A sloth is slow and disconnected and it prefers to be alone. Hazel is alike in this way for the simple fact that she isn’t like her classmates due to her illness. When her disease grew severe, she dropped out of school and even the only friends that she managed to make in her couple years of high school seemed to fall out of touch.  Even when she meets with her friend, Hazel is shown to be disconnected and uncaring. She also isn’t the only one who notices her differences. Augustus notices it as well, but instead in a new light. "Goddamn," Augustus said quietly. "Aren't you something else." (1.66). In the eyes of Augustus, she truly is unique and like the sloth, Hazel is an odd character with a sort of charisma about her that you can’t help but love. As the reader, I’d have to agree with Augustus in this situation.

Hazel is guarded and defensive, but seemingly passive and uncaring. However, I hardly believe that to be true. A sloth could be seen as slow and relaxed but if they weren’t fighters, how could they still be strategic survivors?  There is only one thing in this world shittier than biting it from cancer when you're sixteen, and that's having a kid who bites it from cancer. (1.28) This quote doesn’t exactly prove the fact that she’s strong but it disproves the fact that she won’t fight for her life due to her physical capability. In fact, she is fighting for her life. She’s doing it for her parents. And that makes her stronger than ever. Before Augustus started attending the support center in the “literal heart of Jesus,” Hazel hadn’t spoken in the group, or even had the remote interest in doing so. This also is a good example of the wall that Hazel Grace has put up around people she isn’t fond of. Like any animal, sloths are very careful when choosing their company. They’ll hide from anyone who could potential bring them harm.

There are many animals that could be related to Hazel. However, in my eyes, the protagonist can be seen as sluggish and tiresome. She has a greater purpose to society, though she chooses to stay relaxed and undercover as if her existence would be harmful instead of helpful. Hazel isn’t living to live. She’s living because she has to and because it’d help everyone but her. In the animal kingdom, living is work. Animals don’t have paying jobs and wealth; they work the same job of survival and aim to only do just that. Hazel has her GED and attends college classes but probably doesn’t even plan to live long enough to do anything with those abilities. Just like a sloth, she’s just trying to figure out what to do to keep herself breathing.