Author’s give characters physical imperfections to signify that there is something special and different about the character. In Harry Potter, Voldemort ends up murdering Harry’s parents, but is unable to kill him because he is somehow protected by his parents. The protection spell casted onto Harry by his parents led to the lightning bolt shaped scar on his forehead. In a way, Harry’s lightning bolt scar represents the Greek God, Zeus. Since Zeus is considered one of the most powerful Gods, Harry could be considered one of the most powerful wizards. With that said, Harry’s physical imperfection, the lightning bolt scar, highlights the fact that he is the only one strong enough to destroy Voldemort.

The American dream causes many of the characters in The Great Gatsby to become blind in their judgements and actions. Take Gatsby and Daisy, for example. Daisy, whose voice is "full of money," (Fitzgerald 76) is Gatsby's "silver idol" (Fitzgerald 120) of illusion. Obsessed with the idea of recreating the past, Gatsby is blind to Daisy's selfish, juvenile, and self-destructive personality. Gatsby chooses to ignore the fact that she would never leave Tom and Pammy because doing so would destroy all hope in rekindling their romance. This further highlights the theme of love and how it isn't always what it seems to be.

In How to Read Literature Like a Professor, Foster says that there are four “principles governing the use of disease in a literary work”: 1. Not all diseases are created equal, 2. It should be picturesque, 3. It should be mysterious in origin, and 4. It should have strong symbolic or metaphorical possibilities. In John Green’s, The Fault in Our Stars, the main characters are seen suffering from chronic diseases. The disease itself has strong metaphorical possibilities because it symbolizes the hardships of life. It teaches one to live to the fullest instead of wasting time sulking on all the negatives when life throws something unexpected at you. In the beginning of the novel, Augustus Water is described as being cancer free with an amputated leg. However, throughout the novel it becomes aware that the cancer does indeed come back. This physical malady reflects the principles because the effects of the cancer were inevitable. The fact that he was once again diagnosed with cancer reiterates the fact that all diseases are not equal. Although the origin of the cancer is known, it is not clear how he had become sick in the first place which brings in the mysterious aspect of the disease. The disease can be seen as picturesque as we see Augustus contemplate his life, which leads to the overall theme of the novel, which is acceptance. Although the characters grow sicker each day, they are eventually able to come to terms with their disease and attempt to live normal lives.

The Odyssey, by Homer, illustrates Odysseus' journey home from Troy. Although this story may have been believed by a reader contemporary to the work, it is a little too extravagant to be well appreciated by a reader from the 21st century. In The Odyssey, a ten-year sea voyage was considered normal, which is hard to take seriously when now we can fly practically anywhere in a matter of minutes by plane. In addition, the mystical creatures that are commonly referenced in the novel, such as the Cyclops, are far too fetched to be accepted by a 21st century reader. In Ancient Greece, mystical creatures were taken very seriously, which is something 21st century readers will never understand.