The roles of women in literature have continually evolved over the centuries, with female characters becoming more and more present as the years have passed time. Women in literature nowadays are becoming the protagonists of novels such as The Hunger Games, Divergent and The Fault in Our Stars, where the point of view of the female protagonists is taken into account in the novels, but there are still stereotypes associated with women used in the novels , thus defining women by these stereotypes, this includes the Manic Pixie Dream Girl. According to a blog post discussing Manic Pixie Dream Girl, (Zuckerman, 2015) John Green stated on his Tumblr that his book Paper Towns "aims to challenge the cliché of the character" unlike his other book, "Looking for Alaska", which presents the trope through the character of Alaska. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The first is the story of Quentin, who is taken on a night of adventure by his longtime crush Margo Roth Spiegelman, who suddenly disappears. Using the clues he has left, he pursues Margo, even embarking on an unplanned journey with his friends to find her, only to discover that the Margo he thought he knew is not who he really was. John Green's aim to deconstruct the cliché through his character of Margo Roth Spiegelman raised the question: “To what extent did John Green succeed in challenging the cliché of Manic Pixie Dream Girl through his character of Margo Roth Spiegelman in Paper Towns? According to Nathan Rabin (2014), John Green, for example, was so passionate about the toxic nature of the trope that in a Tumblr post he declared that his novel “Paper Towns” “is dedicated IN ITS ENTIRETY to destroying the lie of the Manic Pixie Dream Girl” before adding, “I don't know how I could have been less ambiguous about it without calling out (Paper Towns) The Manic Pixie's patriarchal lie Dream Girl needs to be stabbed in the heart and killed In an interview at Vulture Dream Girl is a term coined by film critic Nathan Rubin to describe the character of Kirsten Bell in Elizabethtown. He describes the manic pixie of dreams as a character who "exists solely in the feverish imaginations of sensitive writer-directors to teach brooding, full-blooded young men. of feeling to embrace life and its infinite mysteries and adventures." In a later essay, The Bataan Death March of Whimsy Case File #1: Elizabethtown, (Rabin, 2007), Rubin (2007) states that the Manic Pixie Dream Girl is an archetype that “taps into a particular male fantasy: being saved from depression and boredom by a fantasy woman who sweeps in like a shimmering breeze to save you from yourself, then disappears once her job is done. ”. The Manic Pixie Dream girl trope emphasizes the sexist characteristics of women as it turns women into guides who aid in male character growth instead of creating characters out of women. The Manic Pixie Dream Girls are there solely for male character fulfillment. According to the LA Review of Books (Cramb, 2016): “The power of the manic pixie dream girl is a limited, feminized kind of power, too often the kind of power that women in our culture are encouraged to pursue. Instead of changing the world, they inspire men to change the world; they act as muses instead of artists. Nathan Rubin originally coined the phrase to denounce cultural sexism, but ultimately believes the trope itself has become sexist. According to Odyssey (2017): “The problem with this archetype is that it pushes themembers of the public to see women's talents and personal choices as disposable and secondhand. It inspires the idea that women are simply necessary tools to push patriarchy and help men lead better lives. ” According to TV Tropes (“Manic Pixie Dream Girl,” n. d), the Manic Pixie Dream Girl is the character whose presence serves to provide the meaning of the male hero in her life. She is "extraordinarily attractive and energetic" and will focus on the male protagonist and help him learn to live freely and love madly, but the Manic Pixie Dream Girls can be moved away from cliché through character development that gives them more depth. The female characters' perspectives can also help separate them from the trope and further convey the idea that they are not there for the male character's entertainment. In an interview with Digital Spy (2015) John Green described the MPDG as "a very lazy trope" and that it is ultimately dehumanizing. “I think the danger – and to me it's a real danger – is that when you put people on a pedestal and you idealize them, you romanticize them, you might think that you're doing them a favor in some way but you're actually dehumanizing them.” explained. The significance of this study is to see how an author is able to challenge and deconstruct a trope as this essay will focus on John Green's success in portraying his characters. For this essay, the lines of the text were analyzed for give a better idea of ​​how John Green deconstructed the Manic Pixie Dream Girl trope through the opinions of the characters in the text The novel is narrated from the first-person point of view through the protagonist, Quentin Jacobsen they can see that Quentin feels a connection to Margo as he says that ending up living next door to Margo Roth Spiegelman described her as “the most extraordinarily wonderful creature that God ever created. ”(Green, 2015)The beginning already gives us the sign that Margo could be a Manic Pixie Dream Girl. Quentin also seems to know a lot about Margo as he knows personal information about Margo such as her relationships, although readers are not sure how trustworthy Quentin is, they can only see the characters from how he perceives them, but this further shows Margo's character as a possible Manic Pixie Dream Girl. In the book, Margo convinces Quentin to sneak out and help her complete her personal tasks, in doing so she manages to push Quentin out of his comfort zone. During the escapade, Quentin says, “It was 2:49 in the morning. I had never felt less tired in my entire life. ” (Green, 2008, p. 52) This shows how much he enjoyed spending time with Margo, even when it was early in the morning and he had class the next morning, which is very important to him. Margo pushed Quentin to hug and enjoy more life. Through the text it is shown to the readers that Margo is a very significant character in Quentin's life as his thoughts usually revolve around Margo. After their previous adventure, he hoped that Margo would spend his last days of high school with him, as seen in the lines: 'He knew he "couldn't spend the last week of school with the friends he'd always had, so maybe he'd spend them with me after all" (Green, 2008, p. 93) The night Margo disappeared, he kept trying to fall asleep “hoping that Margo Roth Spiegelman would come back to my window and drag my tired ass out for another night. I will never forget it. ” (Green, 2008, p. 93) Margo has become a character that Quentin hopes will illuminate his life and give it substance. Quentin goes to an abandoned minimall which was Margo's previous hideout and he didn't care about the dirty environment, becausehe was in a place where Margo was alive, he ignores the environment, as long as he felt close to Margo he was satisfied. Margo's previous presence in an unfamiliar area makes Quentin feel more at ease giving readers an idea of ​​the effect Margo has on Quentin. However, during his night in the minimall he realizes that the person he thought was not who he really was, stating that the image of Margo he imagined in the abandoned minimall seemed lonely and therefore very “unMargo” (Green, 2008, p. 169) then believes that what he had to do was find out what Margo was like when she wasn't being what Margo's people had in mind. (Green, 2008, p. 170) As the plot progresses, he realizes that he has seen and seen Margo wrong. He describes Margo as a “metaphor made incomprehensible by its ubiquity, that there was enough room for infinite imaginations, an infinite set of Margos. " (Green, 2008, p. 173) Quentin is madly in love with Margo Roth Spiegelman as Quentin himself says, there is a point where he makes trying to understand Margo his job because he realizes that his perception of Margo was very different from who Margo truly was. - was this: Margo was no miracle. It wasn't an adventure. It wasn't a beautiful or precious thing. It was a girl. ” (Green, 2008, p. 199) and “That was Margo as I saw her. But then, inside the buildings, it's not the Margo I had always imagined. ” (Green, 2008, p. 206) when looking for clues in the slightest. These lines also show Quentin's realization that Margo may not be the person he imagines her to be, but she was his own person. In the slightest, he does some his best to also imagine what kind of person Margo was, as she is different than he expected. Quentin mentions in the early chapters that "I cared too much about a school day" (Green, 2008, p. 92) when thinking about the adventures of Margo, but there is a change in attitude caused by Margo when Quentin begins to sacrifice school days and important school events such as prom and graduation to look for Margo. He says that Margo, the only girl with he was going to prom, he was “walking in some kind of perpetuity or something” (Green, 2008, p. 123) and when Quentin finds out where Margo is, his first instinct is to head over. her, abandoning her degree to find Margo. When Radar tells him they're in line for graduation, he says, “I'm not going. I can't risk time” (Green, 2008, p. 238). On their journey to find Margo, his friends begin to fear that Quentin may be disappointed. In response, he says that he only wants to find her because he wants to see her alive. This further highlights Margo's importance in Quentin's life because she is his number one priority. It indirectly pushed him to go on an adventure. She also gets angry when her friends bring up the idea that Margo might not necessarily be where they want her to be (Green, 2008, p. 267). When Quentin comes into close contact with death, his first thought is her, but now there is a change in his perception as he begins to blame Margo for putting his life at risk (Green, 2008, p. 268) At the end of the journey, before finding Margo, he states that he just wants to remember Margo one last time, hoping to see her again (Green, 2008, p. 278) This shows the readers how much he really cares for Margo, how much he wants to see her. When he and his friends finally find Margo, Quentin feels irritated by Margo's attitude. “I'm so pissed at her. But... but, I don't know. Not being the Margo I expected her to be. Not being the Margo I thought I had finally imaginedcorrectly” (Green, 2008, p. 284) Quentin is angry because his false perception of Margo is similar to who she is in real life. He suddenly becomes angry when he realizes how much Margo has taken from him, blaming her for his actions. There is also a moment where Quentin says, “We are now as I wished we could be then. ” (Green, 2008, p. 299), comparing their current situation with a situation that shows how his perception of Margo has changed during the trip. “I stop in the parking lot, realizing that I have never been so far from home , and here's this girl I love and I can't follow. I hope this is the hero's mission because not following her is the hardest thing I've ever done" (Green, 2008, p. 304)Quentin is aware that his perception of Margo is faulty, understanding that she is his own person. He understands that he cannot follow her and that she will not return to their hometown soon, he cannot control her actions. Margo Roth Spiegelman's importance to Quentin is highlighted by her thoughts and actions that challenge his norms. From Quentin's point of view, readers can also observe what other characters' thoughts are towards Margo. From the first chapter readers already have the perception that Margo is popular in her school, with her stories being passed around, Margo has a good reputation in her school. However, the case is different when it comes to his family. Her parents believe that the reason for Margo's escape is self-centered and have become so annoyed that they have changed the locks on their house. From Quentin's interaction with Margo's parents, he reveals that they are ashamed of Margo's behavior towards him. Mrs. Spiegelman states that “I don't want her under our roof. I know, it's terrible, but it's true. " (Green, 2008, p. 102) Margo was a burden to her parents who had bad thoughts about her, even describing her as an illness in the family. (Green, 2008, p. 103) In one of the chapters, Quentin tells to his parents about how Margo left clues and believes that she is the one asking him to find her. His parents express their opinions about Margo, believing that she wants attention and reminding Quentin that it wasn't his responsibility. Even other characters like Ben and Radar, Quentin's best friends, and Lacey, Margo's best friend, see Margo differently as they have different relationships with her. Ben is a character whose opinions of Margo are negative as he says that “Anyway, she's a bit. boring of him to hijack the last three weeks of school, you know? He made you worry, and he made Lacey worry, and prom is in three days, you know? Can't we just have fun with prom?” (Green, 2008, p. 153) and when Quentin states that Margo might be dead, he describes her as a drama queen who wanted attention. (Green, 2008, p. 153) Ben's opinions serve as a source of conflict for Quentin when they search for Margo. There's a part where Ben is too drunk and Quentin gets frustrated and keeps insulting him. “It bothered me that Ben only wanted to talk about Margo when it was a fling that appealed to him, that he thought there was something wrong with me for focusing on her instead of my friends, even though she was missing and they No. " (Green, 2008, p. 211) Ben takes Margo's disappearance lightly, not showing the same grit as Quentin, Lacey, or Radar. Although Ben helps Quentin in his search for Margo even when he doesn't really care why, he remains faithful all the time. Radar seems to show more sympathy for Quentin as he always tries to help him. “D, tomorrow and the day after that and every day for the rest of my life, I'm happy to participate in your investigation. But I have a girlfriend. She wants to have a nice danceend of the year. I want to have a nice prom. It's not my fault that Margo Roth Spiegelman didn't want us to have a nice prom. " (Green, 2008, p. 163) Although Margo is not a priority, she still wants to help Quentin achieve his goal. When the four meet Margo, she says: “I never knew you until I knew you through your clues , I like clues more than I like you.” (Green, 2008, p. 283) Radar also had a false perception of Margo, preferring the Margo in his mind to the Margo in front of him. Before Lacey is introduced in the novel, Margo's opinion on Lacey is shown as Margo calls Lacey a terrible friend but throughout the story, readers learn that Lacey is someone who cares for Margo as she is worried about her disappearance. She also cares deeply that Margo, faced with the possibility that Margo had killed herself because of the "signs" Margo was giving off, began to cry. He also stated that “Everything sucks without Margo. " (Green, 2008, p. 184) Lacey has also been shown to have imperfect perception of Margo as she admits that “I had no idea who she really was. I honestly never thought of her as anything other than my crazy, beautiful friend who does all things crazy and beautiful.” (Green, 2008, p. 200) This shows how he also associated Margo with beauty and fun, thus creating a false illusion of Margo in his mind. Margo Roth Spiegelman is a girl who “loved mysteries so much that she became one. Readers' knowledge of Margo is limited to what Quentin knows. Margo Roth Spiegelman is a mystery to her peers as she is known for having experienced extreme and extraordinary adventures such as traveling with the circus and spending time with a band. Margo is glorified in Quentin's eyes, but Margo is also a person with negative qualities, such as being vindictive and seeking revenge on multiple people. Margo is a very reserved character, she doesn't let any of her friends into her roomMargo is a character who is aware of what people perceive of her since she is seen as a character who seems perfect in the eyes of the people around her but she is a character who, just like everyone, is deeply flawed. This is supported by the quote “I looked down and thought about how I was made of paper. I was the fragile, bendable person, not everyone else. And here's the thing. People love the idea of ​​a paper girl, always have. And the worst thing is that I really liked it too. ” (Green, 2008, p. 293), this quote shows that she was aware of being aware of what people thought of her and that she actually liked the way they saw her. “Because it's great, being an idea that everyone likes it. But I could never be the idea for myself, not at all. And Agloe is a place where paper making has become real. A dot on the map has become a real place, more real than people who created the point could have ever imagined. I thought that the paper cutout of a girl could start to become real here too. And it seemed like a way to tell that paper girl that she cared about popularity, clothes and everything the rest: “You will go to the paper cities. And you will never return” (Green, 2008, p. 294) She believed that going to Agloe would help her find herself and escape from the perception that people had of her when. she had returned to her hometown. Margo is a character that helps drive main character Quentin's plot, making her seem like a Manic Pixie Dream Girl, but over the course of the story she begins to show signs that defy the trope, thus separating herself from the trope. These confessions by Margo reveal to readers that she created an illusion to hide her true personality. “You didn't come here to make sure I was okay.