Title: Looking for Alaska
Author: John Green
Date of Publication: March 3, 2005
Genre: Young Adult Fiction
Historical information about the period of publication
or setting of the novel:
Published in 2005, this young adult fiction novel about a boarding school gave John Green, yet again, the recognition he deserves for his astounding work. During 2005, America experienced deadly mudslides, train crashes, the international effects of Al-Queda bombings, and much more.
A book of this nature was very characteristic considering that most novels published that year were young adult fiction. Books also published in 2005 were “Twilight,” “The Girl with The Dragon Tattoo,” “The Glass Castle” and “The Book Thief”. These books are similar to Green’s story, as that they showcase youth, and devastating hardships in the modern age.
Biographical information about the author:
John green was born on August 24, 1977 in Indianapolis, Indiana. After relocating to Birmingham, Alabama, he attended Indian Springs School nearby where he graduated from in 1995. Indian Springs later became the inspiration for the setting of Looking for Alaska. He later graduated from Kenyon College in 2000, where he double majored in English and religious studies. After graduating, he spent five months as a student chaplain at the Nationwide Children’s Hospital in Ohio. His earliest work is the novel Looking for Alaska launched his career. He has lived in both Alabama and Ohio, which are the inspirations for two of his acclaimed novels. In total Green has published seven novels, five short stories, six other forms of writing, and is credited for his work in six film productions, some of which are for his own novels. His works have also won numerous awards including Michael L. Printz Award, the Children’s Choice Book Award, Edgar Allan Poe Award, and the Corine Literature Prize, among many others. He currently resides in Indianapolis, Indiana with his wife.
Characteristics of the genre:
Young Adult Fiction is published for a targeted audience, normally between ages 12-18, but is subjective. Young Adult Fiction is generally dealing with the age and experience of the main character and focus on the challenges in their lives.
Memorable quotes at least 3 – more is better; from throughout the work)
Quotation Significance
“When adults say, "Teenagers think they are invincible" with that sly, stupid smile on their faces, they don't know how right they are. We need never be hopeless, because we can never be irreparably broken. We think that we are invincible because we are. We cannot be born, and we cannot die. Like all energy, we can only change shapes and sizes and manifestations. They forget that when they get old. They get scared of losing and failing. But that part of us greater than the sum of our parts cannot begin and cannot end, and so it cannot fail.” In the final part of the book when Miles is reliving his final paper and has an internal monologue of realization, he explains and relates life to energy to cope with Alaska’s death. He convinces himself that she is not eternally dead but only physically and her spirit and the way she lived her life is forever wandering the universe because there is more to Alaska Young than the sum of her physical parts. Like a sprit that will not be forgotten, unlike the physical person.
“Imagining the future is a kind of nostalgia. (…) You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth, thinking about how you'll escape it one day, and how awesome it will be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present.” This quote provides insight on how people deal with the labyrinth rather than accepting it for what it is. It showcases the true fact that so many people, including Miles had once pretended that it simply did not exist and used their dreams of what their future could be to escape reality.
“What is an "instant" death anyway? How long is an instant? Is it one second? Ten? The pain of those seconds must have been awful as her heart burst and her lungs collapsed and there was no air and no blood to her brain and only raw panic. What the hell is instant? Nothing is instant. Instant rice takes five minutes, instant pudding an hour. I doubt that an instant of blinding pain feels particularly instantaneous.” In this part of the novel, Miles is still in distress over the news of Alaska’s death and how they say she died instantly upon impact. From this Miles begin to question how long is an instant? It pains him to think that Alaska’s only way to escape her labyrinth of suffering was to suffer even more. He had wished that instant death had meant no pain but in reality, he knew that although her answer to escape the labyrinth was “straight and fast” it had ended with more suffering and he has a hard time coming to terms with this.
“It's not life or death, the labyrinth. Suffering. Doing wrong and having wrong things happen to you. That's the problem. Bolivar was talking about the pain, not about the living or dying. How do you get out of the labyrinth of suffering?” This quote is Alaska’s most important posed question and drives the story forward in a journey to help the characters find the consolation they need. At the end of the story each character and even the reader has formed their own opinion on what this question means to them. The question has no definitive answer but instead is manipulated and conforms to how the person has lived their life, bringing the audience and characters back to one of Green’s main themes of how to live and die.
“Before I got here, I thought for a long time that the way out of the labyrinth was to pretend that it did not exist, to build a small, self-sufficient world in the back corner of the endless maze and to pretend that I was not lost, but home.” This quote showcases the character development of Miles and how he has come to understand that there is more to the labyrinth of life than simply existing and pretending that that’s enough.
Plot Summary:
The book begins when Mile Halter is preparing to leave his Florida home to attend Culver Creek, a boarding school (his father attended) in Birmingham, Alabama. Miles is determined “to seek the Great Perhaps” and is eager to start his junior year away from his lonely Florida life. He is soon to befriend his roommate Chip “The Colonial” Martin, their neighbor Alaska, and Takumi. Each of these characters has a special talent: Miles can memorize famous last words, Chip memorizes facts about other countries, Alaska can quote poetry, and Takumi can freestyle rap. Upon discovering Miles’ love for last words, Alaska introduces him to Simón Bolívar, who passed wondering how to “escape the labyrinth.” Alaska is a very eccentric character but can also be very moody. Miles begins to like her and wants to better understand her, but by the end of the book, he makes little progress. Despite the unsuccessful attempts to get to know Alaska, Miles is finally happy to have friends.
Miles experiences many things for the first time while at Culver Creek including, having friends, breaking the rules, smoking, and drinking. These things are all introduced to him by his new-found friends and soon develop into vices. At the beginning of Miles’ stay at Culver Creek, he encounters Kevin and Longwell, two-weekday warriors who drag him out of bed during the night, duct tape him, and throw him into the lake at school. Despite the Colonial knowing about the prank, he becomes furious when he learns what happened and he turns to Alaska to help him seek revenge. As the story progresses, the protagonists learn the Kevin and Longwell believed that it was the Colonial who ratted to the Eagle about two recently expelled students, Paul and Marya. Marya was Alaska’s previous roommate, and she and Paul had been expelled for having sex, while drunk and smoking pot. Kevin and Longwell had gone after Miles because they were under the impression that since the Colonial went after one of their friends, they must do the same. The Weekday Warrior’s only heighten Alaska’s need for revenge when they flood her “Life’s Library,” books she is saving to read throughout her life.
During the first semester at Culver Creek, the expulsion of Paul and Myra remains a mystery, until Alaska confesses to Takumi that it was her; Takumi promptly tells Miles. Alaska told Takumi that the Eagle had caught her breaking the rules one time and threatened to expel her, so she told the Eagle about Marya. Alaska’s confession broke Culver Creek’s social code: never rat on anyone no matter what they do. When the Colonial finds out about Alaska outing Marya he is furious because he values loyalty above anything else.
The arrival of Thanksgiving prompts Alaska to invite Miles to stay with her on campus for the holiday, however, everyone returns home for Christmas. Upon arrival back at Culver Creek, Miles, Alaska, the Colonial, Takumi, and Laura (Alaska believes she should date Miles) execute a prank on the Weekday Warriors. While Miles and Takumi set out though camps setting off firecrackers to distract the Eagle, Lara sneaks away and puts industrial strength blue dye in Kevin’s hair gel and conditioner. Meanwhile, the Colonial and Alaska hack into a teacher’s computer and send fake progress reports to the parents of the Weekday Warriors, informing them that their children are failing.
The next day, they all spend the day at the school’s abandon barn playing games and getting drunk. They then decide to play a game called Best Day/ Worst Day, when every person has to tell the story of their best and worst day. From this game, the reader discovers that Alaska’s worst day was when she came home from school and her mother collapsed, and Alaska only being nine, sat with her mother until she fell asleep, however, she had actually died. No one at Culver Creek had heard the story about Alaska’s mother and the characters finally understand Alaska’s mood swings and need to always be actively doing something. Later the same day Lara and Miles begin to date.
The next night, Alaska, the Colonial and Miles celebrate the success of their prank by getting drunk. Alaska then dares Miles to make out with her and he happily indulges until she gets tired and asks, “To be continued?” They all fall asleep, only to be waken by Alaska hours later, who is in a hysterical fit. She begs them desperately to distract the Eagle, so she can get off campus. Without hesitation or question, the Colonial and Miles set off to distract him for the duration of her escape.
The following morning, the Eagle calls an assembly in which he announces that Alaska had died in a car crash that night. For the rest of their year at school, the Colonial and Miles grieve whilst trying to solve the mystery surrounding her death. Was it an accident or suicide? It’s a rough patch for both of them as they continually get into fights, become depressed, and keep up with school. Miles finally comes to terms with Alaska’s death in his World Religions class. The Colonial and Miles finally come together and decide to honor Alaska’s memory by pulling off the last prank she had planned. After a few days, Miles and the Colonial along with the help of Takumi discover that the night of Alaska’s death was also the anniversary of her mother’s and Alaska had forgotten to put flowers on her grave which was her intention when she hastily left campus. Miles lays to rest the idea of her suicide after realizing that despite the answer he will still love her. The novel wraps up with Miles writing his final paper about his journey in finding “the Great Perhaps” and the best way out of “the labyrinth of suffering” is to forgive. He decides for himself that however awful the labyrinth is he will choose it every time over an early death like Alaska.
Characters
Name Role in The Story Significance Adjectives
Miles “Pudge” Halter Protagonist The main character and narrator of the story. Impressionable
Immature
Alaska Young Protagonist Storyline relies on the actions of Alaska and she manipulates the meaning of many themes. Reckless
Distracted
Chip “The Colonel” Martin Protagonist The best friend of Miles and initiator of all pranks. Loyal
Honest
Takumi Hikohito Student at Culver Creek, and friends with the protagonists Close friends of the protagonist and holds key information about Alaska’s death. Loyal
Smart
Lara Buterskaya Student at Culver Creek, and friends with the protagonists A Romanian student at Culver Creek. She becomes Miles’ girlfriend for one day and is an accomplice in several of the pranks. Loyal
Shy
Mr. Starnes “Eagle” Dean of students at Culver Creek Believes that discipline of students is the only way they learn from mistakes and always keeps a watchful eye on the whereabouts of students. Strict
Invested
Dr. Hyde (The Old Man) World religions teacher at Culver Creek Dr. Hyde encourages his students to explore the meanings of life and death and how it differs between people. After the death of Alaska, he asks the students to answer Alaska’s question of how to escape the labyrinth of suffering. Smart
Cultured
Mrs. Young Alaska’s mother Alaska’s mother who she watched die of an aneurysm when she’s nine. She used to take Alaska to the zoo and put flowers in her hair. Caring
Loving
Kevin Weekday Warrior At the start of the school year he takes part I. throwing Miles into the lake and is at a constant feud with the Colonial. Kevin is also a victim of one of the Colonial’s pranks. Jock
Immature
Weekday Warriors Students who don’t board at the school on the weekends but return to their wealthy families in Birmingham Students who attend Culver Creek but do not board there on the weekends, but instead return to their wealthy families in the city. They’re at a constant feud with the Colonial but they come together to pull off Alaska’s final prank. Snobbish
Wealthy
Jake Alaska’s boyfriend Jake is Alaska’s older boyfriend who doesn’t attend Culver Creek but made occasional visits. He gave Alaska the flowers that were in her car when she died and also helped aide Miles and the Colonial in figuring out where Alaska was going. Caring
Honest
Marya Alaska’s former roommate A former Culver Creek student who was expelled after Alaska ratted her out to the Eagle for being drunk, having sex, and doing drugs. Reckless
Irresponsible
Setting:
Looking for Alaska is based in Birmingham, Alabama. The story starts in Florida and then switches to the Culver Creek campus in Birmingham. After Miles leaves his pathetic life in Florida, it focuses on Birmingham, but mainly on Culver Creek, the boarding school the characters attend. The book discusses many key places on campus such as the dorm rooms, the barn, the lake, and the smoking hole. Also, Vine Station, Alabama is a place of importance.
Symbols or Motifs:
1. Smoking
Upon arriving at Culver Creek, the Colonial and Alaska convince Miles to smoke. Miles has no excuse to smoke but caves into peer pressure because of his desire to have friends and fit in. The Colonial and Alaska use smoking as a way to defy authority and escape the strict conforms on the school. Alaska uses smoking as a way to connect with her mother when she is sad because it’s something she did before her death. At one point in the story Alaska states, “Y’all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die.” This shows that Alaska is aware of the fact that she is bringing on her own death by smoking. After her death, smoking brings on a new meaning, and embodies her, like a vague memory of who she was. At the conclusion of the book each of Alaska’s friends throw a cigarette into the river at the Smoking Hole in memory of her.
2. Last Words
Throughout the novel Miles uses famous last words as a way to preserve the memory of people who once lived. Miles uses the last words to relate to how the person lived their life. After Alaska’s death he still has a love for the meaning behind last words despite the fact that he will never know hers. Miles comes to the realization that no matter what someone’s last words were, they are in fact not the most important thing they said. By the end of the novel he accepts that last words symbolize the different ways one can choose to live but do not provide any ultimate answers. He eventually let’s go of the fact that he will never know Alaska’s last words and comes to terms that his own “Great Perhaps” is a mystery.
3. The Labyrinth
The most prominent symbol in the novel is the concept of the labyrinth. In the beginning of the book Alaska struggles with deciding if Simón Bolívar’s labyrinth represents life or death. She ultimately comes to her own conclusion that the most important question to ask is “How will we escape this labyrinth of suffering?” It is also an important fact that a labyrinth is different from a maze in the sense that there is only one way out. Despite the mystery weather Alaska’s death was suicide, she had always known that her journey in the labyrinth is a miserable one with the only way out being “straight and fast.” She only saw two options for herself, going through the labyrinth recklessly or not going through it at all. Miles has a very different perspective of the labyrinth and sees it as a journey towards deliverance. He knows that it is not a straight journey and has many twists and turns, but he believes that the one path will lead you to heaven. He believes that there are no dead ends and you will always reach your final destination and is willing to embrace the labyrinth concept of life and is excited to see where his path will lead him.
4. White Flowers
White flowers are a symbol of Alaska’s mother. Before her death, her mother would put white daisies in her hair and symbolize innocence. Alaska is reminded of her mother when she realizes that she is drawing a white daisy on the phone and takes the white tulips gifted to her by Jake to her mother’s grave. Traditionally, white tulips represent worthiness and forgiveness, and if Alaska had forgiven herself the night she died and realized she had value, it might have saved her. The white tulips she had taken with her serve as her own personal memorial, when she died in her car.
Significance of opening scene
The novel starts off with Miles reflecting on his last week in Florida before leaving for culver Creek. It begins with the travesty that is his going away party. The character narrative allows the reader insight to Miles’ life before Culver Creek and allows the reader to see character progression as the story develops. As the book continues the Miles’ narration explains how he values his newfound life away from home and how much it has impacted him.
Significance of the ending/ closing scene
In the closing scene of the book Miles reflects on that he will on day forget Alaska, but he knows that she will forgive him and he in turn forgives her for forgetting about all the people who cared about her. Green writes an enrapturing essay that argues against the statement that teenagers are not invincible and instead relishes in the beauty of living life to the fullest. This is a crucial scene as it gives the audience as well as Miles closure and provides the reader with a soliloquy that is both powerful and mentally stimulating. It pieces together how Alaska’s death affected those around her and the importance of understanding that life is more than just physical existence.
Theme
One of the major themes of this work is how to live and die. Green focused on the difference between life and death and how to live and die. Green chose to title the book Looking for Alaska and not simply Alaska, emphasizing the fact that it’s the search of meaning that matters. The mystery and the unknown are another major theme in the novel. Mystery is embedded within the structure of the book as well as the meaning. Green chose to section the booking based on how many days “before” or “after” a specific event the section took place. Before what is not specified until one third of the book remains. Mystery however also has meaning in the novel when relating to “the Great Perhaps,” Alaska, and the labyrinth and how to escape it. Another theme is loyalty and forgiveness. Throughout the book it is made clear that loyalty among friends is extremely important at Culver Creek. The Colonial emphasizes the importance of loyalty to Miles, and Alaska suffers emotionally throughout the book for having broken this sacred rule to a friend. Having this highly regarded rule forces students to forgive each other which plays an important role after Alaska’s death. Memory helps define many of the characters in the novel as well as showcasing the internal struggles the individual characters have with their own memories. Memory is also a focal point that surrounds Alaska’s death and ultimately lead to her demise. Finally, another of Green’s key themes is identity. Characteristically, novels of this nature, surround a young person’s struggle with finding themselves or what they believe to be the answers to life’s many questions. Typically, it is death or grief that leads a character to go on a quest to solve their problems, but Green showcased that it is in fact grief and loss that prompted the characters to pause on their quest for meaning and reevaluate what they are searching for. After Alaska’s death, Miles works to try and preserve her identity and who she was but initially realizes that the greater lesson learned is that the value of friendship and forgiveness is eternally more important.