The Fault in Our Stars: A Deconstruction

Abstract

This study analyzed and proved the unpredictability of language and the lack of unified meaning in the novel written by John Green, The Fault in Our Stars, which was analyzed using Jacques Derrida’s Deconstruction Theory. This employed qualitative research design. Thirty adopted guide questions were used in the literary analysis. Deconstruction was divided into first and second readings. The initial reading highlighted elements, binary oppositions, and hierarchy of terms present in the novel. The hierarchical oppositions include: life/death, old/young, health/sickness, masculine/feminine, optimism/pessimism, active/passive, and fiction/reality. In this stage, the text appeared to be a unified whole. However, the unprivileged terms became equal to their respective opposites in the second reading. This destroyed the notion of hierarchy altogether. The reversal of the oppositions dismantled the intended meanings with the observed irreconcilable details. Based on the findings, it can be concluded that Deconstruction has been useful in examining the unavoidable contradictions and irresolvable ambiguities present in the text. Thus, absolute interpretation is impossible. Therefore, it is recommended that teachers should be careful in giving students fixed interpretations. Teachers should be able to discuss comprehensively the grammatical, functional, literal, and figurative meanings of a literary work and the different characteristics of language including its flaws, inconsistencies, and ambiguities.