First Name:
Kate
Last Name:
Cook
Major Department:
English Secondary Education
Thesis Director:
Elaine O'Qui
Date of Thesis:
May 2014
This paper explores the roles that women and girls play in the works of John Green, specifically looking at the novels Looking for Alaska, Paper Towns and The Fault in Our Stars. The female characters, their decisions, their surroundings and their portrayals by the author are all taken into consideration when determining whether each text could be considered a "feminist text." Various aspects of feminist criticism, including agency, empowerment, stereotypical gender roles and perception by other characters are considered when determining whether or not each novel is a feminist text. The main goal of this thesis is to assess the growth of John Green as a writer when it comes to writing responsible female characters.