The unlit cigarette that Augustus Waters keeps between his teeth is one of the most recognizable images in The Fault in Our Stars, and students love writing about it. The trouble is that most essays reach the same conclusion quickly: the cigarette represents control over something that could hurt him. That reading is sound, but stopping there leaves the analysis at the surface. Teachers need feedback strategies that move students from identifying a symbol to interpreting it.

Symbolism essays often fall into a specific trap in which the student names the symbol, states what it means, and then repeats that meaning in every paragraph. The essay looks organized but never develops, because each body paragraph simply finds another place where the same idea appears. A helpful comment asks the student what the symbol does differently in different scenes. When Augustus explains the cigarette to Hazel, the effect is not the same as when he later cannot control his own situation.

Complicating the symbol is the skill worth rewarding. Students who notice that the cigarette also reveals Augustus's need to be seen as deliberate, or that it starts to feel fragile as his health declines, are engaging in real interpretation. Teachers can encourage this by asking whether the symbol ever fails, changes, or contradicts itself. Those questions push students to treat symbols as living parts of the story rather than fixed labels.

Feedback That Pushes Past the Obvious

Effective comments on symbol essays are usually short and pointed. A note like "where else does Green use this kind of metaphor, and does it work the same way?" invites comparison without dictating an answer. Another useful move is asking the student to connect the symbol to a character's decision, since symbols matter most when they influence action. These prompts keep the revision in the student's control while sharpening the argument.

• Ask where the symbol appears and whether its meaning stays the same each time
• Ask how Hazel's reaction to the cigarette differs from Augustus's own explanation
• Ask what the symbol reveals that Augustus's dialogue alone does not
• Ask how the symbol connects to the novel's larger ideas about pain and control
• Ask what would be lost if the cigarette were replaced by a different object

Scoring Symbol Analysis on a Rubric

On a rubric, symbol analysis typically belongs under an analysis strand rather than a separate category. The descriptors can reward essays that explain how the symbol develops, connect it to theme, and support claims with specific moments in the text. Lower levels describe essays that identify the symbol and state one meaning without further development. Keeping the language tied to observable behavior helps graders avoid rewarding essays that merely sound confident.

It also helps to decide in advance how you will treat interpretations that differ from your own. A student might read the cigarette as a sign of Augustus's fear rather than his control, and that reading can be perfectly defensible if the evidence supports it. Scoring should depend on how well the argument is built, not on whether it matches the teacher's reading. Communicating that standard to students encourages more creative and more careful analysis.

Using Discussion to Improve the Writing

Discussion before writing makes a real difference on symbolism assignments. Have students spend ten minutes in small groups listing every scene where the cigarette appears, then rank which scene shows the most about Augustus. The disagreements that arise are useful, because they show students that the symbol supports several readings. Students who have argued about a symbol out loud usually write with more confidence and more evidence.

For large classes, AI-assisted feedback can flag essays that rely on a single meaning of the symbol and draft a question encouraging deeper development. The teacher reads the flagged drafts, edits the questions to match the student's argument, and adds personal comments where needed. This approach preserves the interpretive judgment that symbol analysis demands while reducing the time spent writing similar prompts repeatedly. Students still receive feedback that responds to their specific claims.