Augustus Water Quotes

Augustus Water’s metaphor of the unsmoked cigarette is an example of how he is delusional. Augustus’ cigarette in the book is a symbol for illness, and in his case, osteosarcoma. To convince himself that he has control over his illness, he holds the cigarette between his teeth and doesn’t let it do the killing. He says, ‘“It’s a metaphor, see: You put the killing thing right between your teeth, but you don’t give it the power to do its killing.’” (20) This quote shows that Augustus’ smoking habits are the only part of his life that he has control over. By putting the cigarette in his mouth, he holds life and death between his teeth. That power gives him a false sense of reassurance that he can choose to live. By exuding confidence and stability, he warps the image that people see him in when they realise he has osteosarcoma. …show more content…
He tells Hazel Grace, “‘I’ll fight it. I’ll fight it for you. Don’t you worry about me, Hazel Grace. I’m okay. I’ll find a way to hang around and annoy you for a long time.’” (215) Augustus’ delusional idea that he will be able to fight his illness not only affects himself, but the people around him. Although his family members aren’t as optimistic as Augustus, his positive attitude makes them believe that he can defeat his fate. Augustus’ confidence finally wavers when he realises he can’t do everything he wants to do. When death is approaching Augustus and he is fatally ill, he decides to drive to the gas station to buy cigarettes. Hazel has to rescue him when he gets sick and can’t drive back home. When she asks why he would do something so stupid, he says, “‘I wanted to buy a pack of cigarettes. I lost my pack. Or they took it away from me. I don’t know. They said they’d get me another one, but I wanted… to do it