The Strings, the Grass, and the Vessel Life is very complex and often hard to define. However, this challenge does not stop people from trying to sum up the meaning of life in one word. In Paper Towns by John Green, the three metaphors the strings, the grass, and the vessel are used throughout the book to chronicle the protagonist’s, Quentin, experiences. The novel revolves around Quentin Jacobsen, a high school senior. When his former best friend and long time crush, Margo Roth Spiegelman, comes back into his life and then suddenly disappears, Q attempts to piece together the clues he believes Margo left behind for him. Each of these three metaphors represent what Q is feeling and allow him to view life from different perspectives. As
We cannot not live out our dreams through other people. Doing so is neither satisfying nor healthy. Experiencing life solely through another is not a life worth living. However, the grass metaphor does serve some purpose. Q uses it to truly understand the real Margo, rather than the person he has been imagining since childhood, “The grass got me to you, helped me imagine you as an actual person.” (302) The grass allows us to sympathize with one another. Though we may not always be bounded to this universal entity, we are still one race and are connected simply by that and, therefore should support each other as much as possible. The grass allows us the possibility to be happy for someone’s success without becoming that person. The happiness of others is significant in the personal pursuit of happiness. Though we rely on others to make up the background of our existence, as Q puts it, “We are not different sprouts from the same plant. I can’t be you. You can’t be me.” (302) Well, this metaphor hold some merit, it does not coincide with my vision of life and its purpose. The Vessel metaphor, offers the a different not, so black and white view of life. Nothing in this life is absolute and things and people are ever changing. People project certain images, whether it is who they want to be or as a defense mechanism to hide their true self. Others perceive and internalize those