Love as Darwinian Survival Mechanism in John Green's The Fault in Our Stars

This thesis reveals how the dynamics in romantic relationships have an adaptive function, namely a survival mechanism in a couple that has a low chance of survival as reflected in the novel entitled The Fault in Our Stars by John Green. This thesis applies literary Darwinism theory by Joseph Carroll because this theory explains the concept of basic human motives related to the mechanism of love and the role of imagination to solve adaptive problems of survival. Imagination is human capability to cognitively adapt to life problems. Accordingly, this thesis aims to analyze two aspects of human nature in solving the life problem as illustrated in the novel, which are mate selection between people with a low chance of survival and the use of imagination to increase the chance of survival through the sacrifice of one party. The results show that Green represents basic human motives to survive through the principles of mate selection and the adaptive function of imagination in generating an autobiographical narrative or the meaning of life. These two aspects increase the lifespan and survival chance of the main characters, especially Hazel. Keywords: Literary Darwinism, Human Motives, Adaptation, Imagination, Autobiographical Narrative