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John Green's An Abundance Of Katherines

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“What is the point of being alive if you don’t at least try to do something remarkable? How very odd, to believe that God gave you life, and yet not think that life asks more of you than watching TV” (33). Within John Green’s novel An Abundance of Katherines, Colin Singleton, a 17 year old child prodigy, is dumped by the 19th Katherine he has dated. Feeling rejected, Colin goes on a spontaneous road trip accompanied by his best friend, Hassan, which lands them in Gunshot, an irrelevant town in rural Tennessee. There, Colin and Hassan meet Lindsey Lee Wells, a girl who has lived in Gunshot for as long as she can remember, and isn’t planning on leaving any time soon. The three characters decide to assist Colin in his eureka moment: a formula that predicts the fate of a relationship. It is true that the idea of the inability to predict the future contributes greatly to the story; however, John Green emphasises that life will always be full of the …show more content…

Both Colin and Hassan cross paths with Lindsey Lee Wells. Lindsey has always believed that her life will stay the same. She was born in Gunshot. She will die in Gunshot. And Gunshot will always remain stably as it was. Yet, her story took an alternate turn when she learns that the corporation that supplies the majority of Gunshot’s population with its jobs is going under. Her mother, Hollis, explains to Lindsey “A generation from now there might not be a factory and I want your kids and their kids to know what it was like, what we were like...The world ain 't gonna stay like you imagine it, sweetheart” (194). Lindsey struggles with what she might do now that her only plan has crumbled before her eyes. After further contemplation and a little help from Colin, Lindsey experiences her own “Eureka Moment” (4) in a way. Lindsey discovers that even if she doesn’t have a plan, She is still able to accomplish something she loves. After all, lLife is about handling the bumps in the road, not reaching a pothole and turning back

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