I'm Luan, an ordinary sophomore in high school. I often think wildly when faced with difficulties. Sometimes I cry alone because there is no one to talk to about the pressure I am under, but I find that reading books can help me resonate with those characters, making my heart warmer and more relaxed. I also enjoy discovering valuable concepts or ideas from books, and store them up so that they can be used as encouragement or salvation when I encounter stumbling blocks on the road of life in the future.

　　Have you ever been immersed in a miserable, melancholy, and despairing atmosphere that makes you feel hopeless and want to give up on life? For me, I’ve had this kind of experience. Even though deep down inside I know that it’s nearly impossible for me to deal with this feeling by myself, I would still spare no effort to find a solution that enables me to escape from the slough of despond. In The Fault in Our Stars, I can distinctly see some similarities that genuinely tug at my heart’s string.

　　There are two main characters in The Fault in Our Stars. One is Hazel Grace, who is irrefutably one of the bravest warriors in this novel. Because of her life-threatening cancer, she has gone through a variety of challenges in her life. The other one is Augustus Waters, who is also a cancer fighter. He shares a lot of views on life with Hazel, and also leads her through some of the most painful moments.

　　As the author of Hazel’s favorite novel points out, “Pain demands to be felt (57).” In other words, pain can’t be avoided; hence, Hazel chooses to believe that pain should be recognized for what it is as a “side effect of dying.” Moreover, Hazel has to overcome both physical torture and her parents’ concerns about her health, and this causes her to be an introversive person, unwilling to interact with others. As a consequence of being overly introversive, Hazel’s mother forces her to participate in a cancer support group, which gathers a few people and they take turns sharing their bravery of fighting against cancer. There, she meets the charming Augustus. Hazel was enchanted by Augustus, and she introduces her favorite novel, The Imperial Affliction, to him. Coincidentally, the novel also focuses on cancer, but interestingly, the author of this novel chooses to leave the finale mystery.

　　Furious and frustrated at not knowing the end of the novel, Augustus keeps discussing it with Hazel and writing emails to the author, Peter Van Houten. His effort pays off when he eventually receives the invitation to Amsterdam from the author. Although they didn’t get any information from Peter Van Houten, they get chances to confide their views and minds with each other; hence, the bond between Hazel and Augustus has been reinforced. Just as the saying goes, “Every cloud has a silver lining.” For one thing, though Hazel and Augustus didn’t get what they initially wanted for the trip to Amsterdam, their relationship has since become more stable and stronger after this trip. For another, though both Hazel and Augustus have cancer, they choose not to give up on life. Instead, they face it head-on and love fiercely.

　　I was deeply touched by the story due to the fact that I had gone through a period of time suffering from “dysthymic disorder,” which is a kind of depression that may temporarily make a person feel hopeless coping with anything. What’s worse, to some degree, it causes a lot of difficulties and barriers living a proper life. Suffering from this kind of disease that is caused by some unknown reasons, I was unable to concentrate and to eat anything. Tragic as the story sounds, I didn’t dare to share my feelings with others because I was so afraid of being laughed at; as a result, this kind of pain started to shatter my confidence, leaving me suffocated during social interactions. However, as I finish reading this novel, I could find a shelter for me to put myself in. Furthermore, it allows me to reflect on myself, letting me know how I can face miserable moments positively.

　　From my perspective, the way Hazel and Augustus regard their cancers and turn those stumbling blocks into the triumph of supremacy is worth learning. When we encounter difficulties, we should always have faith in ourselves and believe that every cloud has, brews, and shines its silver lining.