Looking For Alaska
Niki Hultquist
John Green’s Looking for Alaska
Green, John. Looking for Alaska. Penguin Print Inc., 2005. Print Miles “Pudge” Halter’s life is nothing out of the ordinary. Although Pudge is comfortable with “ordinary” he is willing spice up his life by leaving his current life behind. In search of a “Great Perhaps”, Pudge decides to attend Culver Creek Boarding School where his life is turned upside down. Pudge allows himself to try new things and put himself in danger to find a Great Perhaps, which he shortly achieves. Through love, loss, and adventure, Pudge finds his Great Perhaps by falling for Alaska Young. Alaska Young is a beautiful, intelligent, abundant young woman who captures Pudge’s attention, as well as his heart (and everyone elses.) Through Alaska, Pudge finds his answers to life. This novel’s main theme is summed up in one question: How will you get out of this labyrinth? Green attempts to answer this question through other people’s eyes and their influence of loss. We never know what the labyrinth is- which is one of the mysteries of the novel- but Alaska believes it is about suffering. Everyone does wrong and everyone has wrong done to them, and there is no escaping the suffering. Alaska is very complex character who is incapable of forgiveness because of her past, which explains her fascination with death and her beliefs of her labyrinth. Alaska’s thoughts on life shape the way others think about life and act upon it, particularly Pudge. After the suffering the group entails, Pudge’s final answer to this question is that you have to forgive to survive in the labyrinth. Green shows us that in order to find hope in life, you have to suffer, which in the end is worth it. This novel is defined by the search for answers about life and death, and through our personal labyrinths of suffering we retain hope. Although the plot may seem bland, it is witty, relatable, and full of surprises. This novel is far from a romantic love story,
John Green’s Looking for Alaska
Green, John. Looking for Alaska. Penguin Print Inc., 2005. Print Miles “Pudge” Halter’s life is nothing out of the ordinary. Although Pudge is comfortable with “ordinary” he is willing spice up his life by leaving his current life behind. In search of a “Great Perhaps”, Pudge decides to attend Culver Creek Boarding School where his life is turned upside down. Pudge allows himself to try new things and put himself in danger to find a Great Perhaps, which he shortly achieves. Through love, loss, and adventure, Pudge finds his Great Perhaps by falling for Alaska Young. Alaska Young is a beautiful, intelligent, abundant young woman who captures Pudge’s attention, as well as his heart (and everyone elses.) Through Alaska, Pudge finds his answers to life. This novel’s main theme is summed up in one question: How will you get out of this labyrinth? Green attempts to answer this question through other people’s eyes and their influence of loss. We never know what the labyrinth is- which is one of the mysteries of the novel- but Alaska believes it is about suffering. Everyone does wrong and everyone has wrong done to them, and there is no escaping the suffering. Alaska is very complex character who is incapable of forgiveness because of her past, which explains her fascination with death and her beliefs of her labyrinth. Alaska’s thoughts on life shape the way others think about life and act upon it, particularly Pudge. After the suffering the group entails, Pudge’s final answer to this question is that you have to forgive to survive in the labyrinth. Green shows us that in order to find hope in life, you have to suffer, which in the end is worth it. This novel is defined by the search for answers about life and death, and through our personal labyrinths of suffering we retain hope. Although the plot may seem bland, it is witty, relatable, and full of surprises. This novel is far from a romantic love story,