The Fault in Our Stars
John Green
Contributed by Margherita Wickersham
Chapter 22
Summary

Gus’s funeral goes on in the church, the place of meeting for the cancer support group. Hazel views Gus just by herself and says her last goodbyes. She sits through the services and notices that Van Houten has attended the service as well. His presence infuriates her in spite of his attempts to engage her in a conversation. Hazel also attends the post-funeral gathering, and — as expected — she finds it miserable. As she leaves with her parents, Van Houten stops her and requests for a ride in her car. Hazel reluctantly accepts but soon realizes that the man’s unpleasantness remains (Green 79-81). She kicks him out of the car, and the family heads home where they continue to grieve.

Analysis

Despite saying her final goodbyes to Gus, Hazel still needs to grieve by herself. However, the appearance of Van Houten signifies the attempts of pulling her back into the oblivion she never believes in anymore. In addition, the efforts of Van Houten to tell her the ending of An Imperial Affliction bears no fruits, as she already lost any shred of care she had towards the issue. Ideally, Hazel is trying to move past the inevitability of death and the pain associated with the ordeal. Instead of turning to An Imperial Affliction for comfort during these hard times, she finds it better to approach her father, who effectively restores her hope. Hazel’s father talks about the unfairness of the world, and the privilege she had for loving Gus despite knowing the impending situation.

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