The book I have chose to read during the summer is Paper Towns by John Green.
This story takes place in Orlando, Florida and mainly focuses on two teenagers, Quentin Jacobsen and Margo Spiegelman. They are neighbors and were actually childhood friends up until high school. One random night, Margo knocks on Quentin’s window and asks him to take part of an 11 step revenge plan. They spend the whole night together and Quentin starts to feel hopeful that they’ll become friends again. However, that doesn’t happen because Margo goes missing the next day. She leaves clues behind for Quetin that hint about her whereabouts and he shortly catches on. Quentin feels obligated to follow her trail and soon he and his friends go through a long exciting adventure to find the amazing Margo Roth Spiegelman.
In the story Quentin Jacobson is described as a normal teenage boy. He is a senior in highschool, has perfect attendance, and has two ‘nerdy’ best friends. He is described to have brown hair and brown (almost black) eyes. Overall he only has one enemy, Chuck Parson, who is his bully. Quentin's most noticeable traits are his lack of confidence, his love for Margo, and how he always likes to be careful. This is portrayed in the story , “Let’s just please not get in trouble,” I said. “I mean I want to have fun and everything, but not at the expense of, like, my future.” (Page 32) This shows that Quentin isn’t really an adventurous person and how he tends to stay on the safe side.
All in all, Quentin likes to refrain from doing anything that could potentially hurt his future but will go to extreme lengths to find his love, Margo. He feels obligated to find her, and sometimes can put her before his friends. Despite this, his friends are always by his side and later on in the story he starts to see that and begins to appreciate it.
In Paper Towns Margo is described as an independent determined girl through the eyes of Quentin. She is known for going missing for a few days and doing crazy exotic things. She likes to live in the spark of the moment and hates the idea of being a paper girl. She feels trapped in Orlando, and decides to leave. Everyone sees Margo as if she’s perfect but inside she is actually a troubled and vulnerable girl. In the story she states, “I thought of you a lot, to answer your question. And my parents. Of course, okay? Maybe I am the most horribly self-centered person in the history of the world. But God, do you think I would have done it if I didn’t need to?” (Page 286) This shows a little bit about how Margo was feeling. She felt almost lost and took time to find herself. Overall, her true character is hidden from the eyes of Quentin.
All in all, Margo is a bit of a rebel, but only does it to get attention from her parents. She feels lost and trapped. Lastly, she treats people differently depending on their actions.
These two main characters are very different from each other. However, their differences are what mold the story together. Without Quentin, Margo would have never saw life through his eyes. Without Margo, Quentin would’ve never broken out of his shell and learn how to live life in the moment.
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