I am a fan of Paper Towns by John Green. I wrote several college essays abouts it, I made an actual paper town out of origami, and now I have written another essay about it, for a scholarship that I'm applying to. I just finished reading Paper Towns again, so I figured I'd share it. So yeah. Here it is. Any feedback would be welcome. It's based off a Francis Bacon quote. But I've deleted the quote because other people applying to the scholarship have been googling it. (Which, imo, is stupid. If they were smart enough to qualify for the scholarship, I'm sure they're smart enough to write a good response to it.)
Young adult literature has a reputation. It is often said to lack substance, often categorized as the precursor to “Chick Lit.” Books placed in the young adult sections of public libraries and book stores are doomed by many to the schema of fun but useless reads. Yet, this is certainly not always the case. The novel Paper Towns by John Green is a perfect example of this.
At first glance, Paper Towns is a “typical” young adult novel. The first portion of the book centers on a wild adventure through central Florida, following the exploits of Margo Roth Spiegleman, the unpredictable and mysterious female protagonist, and her childhood best friend Quentin. The pair spends the night getting revenge on those whom Margo once considered friends, pulling asinine pranks like putting fish in people’s cars and Vaseline on doorknobs. Then, the next day, Margo disappears. Quentin, who, in typical young adult novel fashion, has a crush on Margo, is bewildered. He expected to reconnect with Margo after years of drifting apart, but is left with the knowledge that she has run away for reasons he cannot understand. The remainder of the novel follows Quentin as he bonds with his friends and attempts to find Margo
From this brief summary, Paper Towns seems like a simple novel about adventure, pranks, and teen love. Yet, Paper Towns is not a candy bar book, a book that’s fun to read but that has no real value. Paper Towns is a meat-and-potatoes kind of book; it deserves to be read diligently and carefully.
Underneath it’s fun exterior, Paper Towns is about learning to imagine others complexly. Quentin, in the early parts of the novel, idolizes Margo, placing her upon a tall and towering pedestal. She is, in Quentin’s mind, perfect. She is popular, smart, brave, and spontaneous. Yet, as Quentin uncovers more details about Margo’s life, he begins to realize that he never truly knew her. Underneath her thin façade of happiness and perfection, Margo was depressed, lonely, and often confused. As Quentin begins to realize this, he gets to know Margo better. “Margo,” Quentin learned, “was not a miracle. She was not an adventure. She was not a fine and precious thing. She was a girl.”
The central theme of the novel is beautifully covered in one quote from the book: “what a treacherous thing to believe that a person is more than a person.” Paper Towns should be read diligently and with attention because this message is important in every person’s life. If one places others upon pedestals, one can only be doomed to comparative mediocrity. If we as people think of our friends and loved ones as perfect, we can only be disappointed in ourselves and each other. Paper Towns is a book that should be read carefully because this is a message that everyone needs to hear, a message found in a young adult novel, where most would expect it least.
Total Book Count: 8
Nonfiction: 0
At first glance, Paper Towns is a “typical” young adult novel. The first portion of the book centers on a wild adventure through central Florida, following the exploits of Margo Roth Spiegleman, the unpredictable and mysterious female protagonist, and her childhood best friend Quentin. The pair spends the night getting revenge on those whom Margo once considered friends, pulling asinine pranks like putting fish in people’s cars and Vaseline on doorknobs. Then, the next day, Margo disappears. Quentin, who, in typical young adult novel fashion, has a crush on Margo, is bewildered. He expected to reconnect with Margo after years of drifting apart, but is left with the knowledge that she has run away for reasons he cannot understand. The remainder of the novel follows Quentin as he bonds with his friends and attempts to find Margo
From this brief summary, Paper Towns seems like a simple novel about adventure, pranks, and teen love. Yet, Paper Towns is not a candy bar book, a book that’s fun to read but that has no real value. Paper Towns is a meat-and-potatoes kind of book; it deserves to be read diligently and carefully.
Underneath it’s fun exterior, Paper Towns is about learning to imagine others complexly. Quentin, in the early parts of the novel, idolizes Margo, placing her upon a tall and towering pedestal. She is, in Quentin’s mind, perfect. She is popular, smart, brave, and spontaneous. Yet, as Quentin uncovers more details about Margo’s life, he begins to realize that he never truly knew her. Underneath her thin façade of happiness and perfection, Margo was depressed, lonely, and often confused. As Quentin begins to realize this, he gets to know Margo better. “Margo,” Quentin learned, “was not a miracle. She was not an adventure. She was not a fine and precious thing. She was a girl.”
The central theme of the novel is beautifully covered in one quote from the book: “what a treacherous thing to believe that a person is more than a person.” Paper Towns should be read diligently and with attention because this message is important in every person’s life. If one places others upon pedestals, one can only be doomed to comparative mediocrity. If we as people think of our friends and loved ones as perfect, we can only be disappointed in ourselves and each other. Paper Towns is a book that should be read carefully because this is a message that everyone needs to hear, a message found in a young adult novel, where most would expect it least.
Total Book Count: 8
Nonfiction: 0
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