Alicia kim's blog

Introduction:
Looking For Alaska is a coming-of-age novel by John Green. It was published in 2005. The author, John Green, wrote this fictional novel using his experiences at Indian Springs School. The setting of the book is Culver Creek High School in Alabama. It was made into a TV series in 2019. The novel garnered lots of attention for its plot and the storyline.

Summary:
Miles moves to a fancy new school in Alabama, where his roommate Chip “Colonel” Martin nicknames him “Pudge.” Pudge becomes friends with Alaska, a smart but troubled girl. Alaska makes a deal with Pudge – if he can figure out what a “labyrinth” is, she’ll find him a girlfriend. Pudge goes on a bad date but gets closer to Alaska. However, she says she has a boyfriend she loves. On his first night, Pudge is kidnapped by rich students called the Weekday Warriors, who blame his friends. Alaska later admits she got their friends expelled to save herself. After a party, a drunk Alaska opens up about feeling guilty over her mom’s death. Pudge realizes the “labyrinth” is human suffering. He starts dating Lara, but also has a drunken night with Alaska. Soon after, Alaska gets a distressing call, drives away drunk, and dies in a car crash. Pudge and the Colonel try to cover for her. Pudge and the Colonel are devastated after Alaska’s death, blaming themselves. They argue, with the Colonel accusing Pudge of loving an idealized version of Alaska. To celebrate Alaska’s life, the group pulls off a prank she had planned – hiring a male stripper to speak at the school event, which even the principal finds clever. Pudge finds notes suggesting Alaska was rushing to visit her mom’s grave on the anniversary of her death. Takumi confesses he was the last to see her. Pudge realizes he needs to forgive Alaska, as he knows she forgives him.

Analysis:
Miles, or Pudge, symbolizes teenagers in the novel. Through his actions of falling in love, and going through hardships and troubles, the story of his experiences shows what teenagers must go through to become adults. The novel also brings out the theme of closure. After Alaska had passed away due to a car accident, Pudge, Colonel, and others had a hard time believing that she had died. Colonel, Pudge, and Takumi tried to figure out how and why Alaska died. Ultimately, they found closure on the accident and dropped Alaska’s case. Another theme of the novel is hope. The Old Man asks the class what hope is for them, and Pudge decides it is his escape from his labyrinth of suffering. For Pudge (Miles), hope is understanding the reality of suffering while acknowledging that friendship and forgiveness can help reduce this suffering and give hope and happiness. Pudge mainly focuses on the labyrinth and the “Great Perhaps”. This is significant because Pudge writes an essay on the labyrinth of suffering and Alaska also creates the labyrinth of suffering. It is also crucial for the book as it shows how Pudge puts his faith in the “Great Perhaps” and this shows his meaning of life.

Conclusion:
Looking For Alaska is a young adult novel by John Green. It was published in 2005 and the TV series was released in 2019. The main character, Pudge goes to a private school, Culver Creek High School, where he meets the Colonel, his roommate, and Alaska, his best friend. He falls in love with Alaska but she passed away due to a car accident. Colonel and Pudge try to uncover how Alaska died and eventually bring closure to this accident. This novel covers the themes of hope, closure, coming-of-age, and the meaning of life. Through Pudge and Alaska’s actions, they show the symbol of hope, the plot of getting closure, growing mature, and learning the meaning of life.