User:Ccorb020/Turtles All the Way Down (novel)

The Title and How it Relates to the Novel
The title refers to a metaphor about life which is: "turtles all the way down." This metaphor comes from an old idea that the world is flat and on top of a multiple turtles backs. This metaphor aims to discuss the idea that life is a compilation of multiple choices and the idea of infinite regression. Within the novel Ava discovers the whereabouts of her friends father and faces the choice as to whether she should tell her friend. She faces difficult choices throughout the novel and questions the purpose of her life. The title also relates to Ava's struggles with OCD since she often feels like she is not in control of her life, which leads to a lot of frustration. In the novel Ava says: “The thing about a spiral is, if you follow it inward, it never actually ends. It just keep tightening, infinitely.” This quote relates to how she views the world, which is the same way that the metaphor sees the world. It also discusses how her anxiety forces her to live questioning everything so she sometimes feels trapped in her own mind. Eventually, Ava accepts there are too many factors to being “you” and they are uncontrollable so instead of trying to control each thing about herself she must accept the fact that there is an infinite number of “turtles” that describe who she is. This idea is parallel to John Greens life and reflects his struggle with OCD and anxiety.

Turtles All the Way Down Plot
The novel follows the story of a young girl named Ava

Portrayal of Anxiety in Teenage Fiction and its Affects on Readers
The

Portrayal of OCD and Anxiety Disorder in Novel
The main character is a reflection of the authors (John Green) struggles and daily life. The main character in the novel (Ava) struggles with anxiety and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Her most reoccurring fear is the fear of the human microbiome and bacteria, to the point that she uses hand sanitizer frequently and eventually consumes hand sanitizer and has to go to the hospital. Ava consistently questions whether her hands are clean enough and frequently picks at her skin to the point where it bleeds. Ava describes her daily fears and struggles and how they affect her often. Ava says: “True terror isn’t being scared; it’s not having a choice on the matter.” This quote expresses how she feels about her irrational fears that often take up too much space in her mind. Her descriptions throughout the novel are relatable to readers, even if they do not struggle with anxiety. Many times Ava feels awkward in social gatherings or talks about how she deals with her stress from classes and friendships. She elaborates on how even with constant fearful thoughts she is able to live a full life and eventually uncover a mystery. Ava explains her thought processes and how she rationalizes out of her episodes by counting back from 10 or making herself focus on something else. She shines light on the therapies she goes to and how effective and necessary the therapy is. The novel is a honest depiction of the struggles some people face every day. Novels like this one allow people to understand how anxiety affects a person's daily life.

The novel not only looks at anxiety from the perception of the person with anxiety but also looks at how others treat the person with anxiety. Ava's relationships vary a lot in how they view her and treat her. Ava's mother is consistently worried about Ava and babies her frequently. Her mother is often unsure how to react to Ava's irrational stresses and makes comments that do not help Ava relax. Ava's best friend views her as selfish and is consistently frustrated by Ava's lack of understanding and random overthinking. Ava's romantic partner also finds it difficult to talk to her and has to have a lot of patience when handling her episodes and comments.