Character Analysis
Hazel's mom is a helicopter parent if we ever saw one. But can we blame her? After all, her kid's dying of cancer and she's been relegated to stay-at-home-mom status to take care of all the medical details.
One of the first things that we notice about Mrs. Lancaster is just how much she caters to Hazel. She wants to be there for her all the time in an effort to make her life more fulfilling and fun:
My mom was really super into celebration maximization. IT'S ARBOR DAY! LET'S HUG TREES AND EAT CAKE! COLUMBUS BROUGHT SMALLPOX TO THE NATIVES; WE SHALL RECALL THE OCCASION WITH A PICNIC! (3.21)
Because Hazel's life might be cut short, Mrs. Lancaster goes kind of crazy with all the celebrations. She wants to celebrate everything, go everywhere, and gets really, really upset when Hazel just wants to stay at home and watch bad reality TV all day.
What do you think? Is she right? Or is She overdoing the live life to the fullest thing?
Tough Life
Like her daughter, Mrs. Lancaster is a guilt-ridden lady. Because Hazel's going through some pretty dire times, she even feels bad when Hazel catches her—wait for it—reading a book. As it turns out, that book is for school, so that Mrs. Lancaster can become a social worker. Mrs. Lancaster has been hiding it from Hazel because she's afraid of not making Hazel her entire life.
Of course, it turns out that Hazel is delighted to hear that her mother will have a life whether she's in it or not. It's painful to think of, but still the best possible outcome. As Hazel so eloquently puts it,
There is only one thing in this world s***tier than biting it from cancer when you're sixteen, and that's having a kid who bites it from cancer. (1.28)
Mrs. L does a pretty good job considering the circumstances, don't you think?