Don't you love a movie that inspires thought?
Oh, ps. **Spoiler Alert.**
It made me think. A lot.
Without giving every plot detail away, two teens who have terminal cancer meet and a love story unfolds. I'm pretty sure that's obvious in the trailer though so I'm still good on that end. On to the list of things that struck me.
Firstly, the boy, whose name is Augustus Waters, meets the girl, Hazel Something-or-other at a support group for young adults and teens with cancer. The important part comes in where he asks her name. She of course says, "Hazel," to which Gus replies, "No, your full name." It then comes out that her full name is Hazel Grace Something-or-other. Gus, somehow in his eighteen year old wisdom, knows the importance of a name. He calls her Hazel Grace the entire movie. Maybe there's some backstory to this in the book that I'm missing since I haven't read it yet, but I've been thinking about names and this just resonated so much with me. Our names aren't arbitrary. They were chosen. Some with great purpose and meaning, some without, but still chosen carefully and with great consideration. I believe that names can impact lives. Maybe not overtly, but obviously whichever star named their daughter Apple (Gwen Stefani, wasn't it?) had something very specific in mind with that choice. Little Apple will have a different life than Rebecca next door, simply because her name is more unique. Meanings, ironically, have meaning as well. My name is Ashleigh Rene Junor. My spelling is derived from the ash tree itself. This didn't mean anything until I researched the ash tree. It is strong, light, and can withstand much force without breaking. It bends. I have been through a fair amount of crap in my life... Especially my parents' divorce. That did a lot of damage to four year old me. But I did not break. I learned to bend. I still refuse to break. I am the ash tree and it is me. Rene is the French version of the Roman name Renatus, meaning reborn. I identify as a Christian who was born again into the faith. There's lots of things I still struggle with about the church and life questions, but that changes not the meaning of my name. Maybe this is lunatic asylum worthy, but I believe names are significant. So in the movie, getting back there, what if Augustus saw something in Hazel Grace that others didn't? What if, by using her whole name, he acknowledged that special identity every time he spoke to her? What if we all have something within us that could help be identified by our names and we choose not to see the significance because we think they're just names?
Secondly, a friend of Augustus' and Hazel's has to give up his eyesight in order to beat his cancer. Gus had to give up half of his right leg. This made me consider what I would be willing to sacrifice in order to keep living. At what point would I say, "No, it's enough, I'm finished,"? I think I could learn to live with one leg, or even being deaf, but would losing my sight cause me to draw the line? There is so much beauty in the world. It pains my heart to even think of not being able to see it. Of course, one never really knows until faced with the ultimate decision of whether to live or die, as the case is with the friend. What would you be willing to give up?
This is part one.
