The Sun Is Also A Star

What would happen if two completely opposite figures meet at the same time? Arguments, intimacy or the romantic scenario, love?

Natasha was a “scientific” girl who believed in facts and reality. On her last day in America, she encountered her complementary counterpart--Daniel, a “poetic” boy being obsessed with dreams and destiny, in the crowded New York City. As a classic of YA novels, the story mainly centered on their one-day-romance. However, it was not only their enthralling love but also the mentioning of the “American dream” and the issue of immigration that impressed me deeply.

The “American dream.” Daniel once told Natasha, “We are born to dream and make the things we dream about.” I appreciate his ambitious thought but suspect its feasibility. Natasha’s father lost almost everything when pursuing his acting career in Broadway and remained unemployed after years of struggling. Sadly, he wasn’t the only one in the same pathetic situation. It’s hard to imagine how many people, both legally and illegally, have swarmed to the US, harboring aspiration and striving to pursue that fabulous American dream in the US territory. When they first stepped on the land of the USA, they must have been looking forward to the prosperous future and genuinely believe they were going to live a better life. Nevertheless, I wonder how many of them really obtained what they desired after years of diligence and perseverance. Instead of building castles in the air, we should probably think thoroughly whether the dream we pursue is really worth fighting for. Since it takes not only time and effort but also luck to succeed, I personally consider abandoning one’s own country and culture to realize unrealistic dreams to be an unwise way.

The issue of immigration. As a Jamaican-American herself, the author understands more than anyone how colored people are treated in the US, “America’s not really a melting pot. It’s more like one of those divided metal plates with separate sections for starch, meat and veggies.” For instance, the American-born Korean boy Daniel was often asked where he “really” came from by white Americans due to his Asian appearance. In the book, there are quite a few examples of racial stereotypes. A melting pot is by definition a mixed-up nation consisting of people of diverse cultural backgrounds. Unfortunately, different colors, races and cultures haven’t blended together in the US as soundly as we imagine.

Love and regret. I’m not the kind of person who believes in “love at first sight”; therefore, the one-day-romance storyline appeared a little ridiculous to me initially. However, I witnessed the chemistry between the young couple slowly sublimate, and how their feelings for each other gradually changed as I flipped through the pages. The detailed description made their “love at second sight” more reasonable. Inevitably, the extraordinary day came to an end and Natasha left America eventually. The more incredibly and amazingly they collided, the more depressed I felt when they were torn apart. “Regret,” nonetheless, is always what makes us remember things the most. If Romeo and Juliet lived happily ever after, would their transient love story still be passed through generations and be referred to as one of the irreplaceable classics in the history of literature? “Meant to be doesn’t have to be forever.” It was already miraculous for them to bump into each other in the vast universe, so they should cherish what they were blessed with rather than cry for departure with remorse. After all, we can’t avoid losing someone important to us in our lives, but we can enjoy the time we’ve been together to the full. “Carpe diem” is the motto I learned from their relationship.

We humans are all connected to one another with an invisible bond combined with coincidence, destiny and affection. There might be obstacles and challenges that disturb the protagonists, such as being trapped in pie-in-the-sky dreams, equality problems and regret. Whether we are realistic as Natasha or romantic as Daniel, we should always embrace the unexpected in lives in a positive manner, treasure things around us and try to love others with all our heart. “Love remains and will never fade away” is what I learnt from this thought-provoking book.