An Unexpected Night

Paper Towns is a novel based on Quentin Jacobsen’s life and the love he has for a beautiful girl named Margo Roth Spiegelman. Since small kids, they have been close friends, but one day they found a dead body in Jefferson Park that made them closer since they shared an experience. Many years after during an unexpected night, Margo appeared at Q’s window and asked him to help her complete her plan that consisted on 11 parts. They jump into the minivan and start the night by getting revenge on Margo’s ex-boyfriend and ex-best friend. Then Q got his revenge on someone he didn’t like and ended the night by breaking into Sea World. At the end of the night Margo tells Q that she is going to miss him and he has no idea what she is talking about; Q tries to tell her she can spend time with him more often but she answers, “ I’m afraid it’s not possible” (81).

“I could never stop thinking that maybe she loved mysteries so much she became one” (8).

People you know from a distance can be seen in so many different ways. Q has only known Margo a little but has always been interested on her and what she likes and how she acts. I find it interesting how Q wants to find out how Margo behaves after they shared a common experienced when they saw a dead body and how their reactions were completely different.

“That's always seemed so ridiculous to me, that people want to be around someone because they're pretty. It's like picking your breakfast cereals based on color instead of taste.” (37).

When I read this quote, it reminded me of how society can influence your way of thinking and behaving so much. Margo is saying how she hates that people choose a girlfriend based on looks and not on personality, she wants to make sure people don’t choose wrongly because of looks. “Never judge a book by its cover.”

Final Thoughts

As the story begins by telling two outstanding experiences between Q and Margo you can see how their friendship begins growing more over time. I would say that after that night Q and Margo will start hanging out more, but I think that what really is going to happen is that Margo is not going to talk to him so often like it was before because I feel that she is wants to have her own space now that she got rid of her friends.