FICTION ANALYSIS
Looking for Alaska
1. This novel is about a boy named Miles, nicknamed Pudge, and how he is in search of "The Great Perhaps". He decides to go to a boarding school for his last two years of high school and meets interesting people and actually has friends, something he lacked growing up. He learns a lot about life and death and all the suffering that happens in between. The observable conflict in this novel is dealing with death and suffering in life. The deeper conflict in this novel is trying to find out who you are and how to make the best out of what you have.
2. The theme of this novel is that no matter how boring or bland your life may seem, unexpected things will happen whether they be good or bad. Life presents itself and you have to take every opportunity you can. No matter what it is whether it be something big like moving to a different state to go to school or something small like smoking a cigarette for the first time, everything leads to something much bigger.
2. The theme of this novel is that no matter how boring or bland your life may seem, unexpected things will happen whether they be good or bad. Life presents itself and you have to take every opportunity you can. No matter what it is whether it be something big like moving to a different state to go to school or something small like smoking a cigarette for the first time, everything leads to something much bigger.
3. The author's tone throughout the story is a hopeful sort of loneliness throughout the first half of the book and an obvious sadness throughout the second half. An example of the hopeful loneliness would be, "And when that final Friday came, when my packing was mostly done, she sat with my dad and me on the living-room couch at 4:56 P.M. and patiently awaited the arrival of the Good-bye to Miles Cavalry. Said cavalry consisted of exactly two people: Marie Lawson, a tiny blonde with rectangular glasses, and her chunky (to put it charitably) boyfriend, Will." (Page 3) Another example of the hopeful loneliness is, "'So this guy,' I said, standing in the doorway of the living room. 'Fracois Rabelais. He was this poet. And his last words were "I go to seek a Great Perhaps.' That's why I'm going. So I don't have to wait until I die to start seeking a Great Perhaps." (Page 5)
4. "Dolores insisted that Alaska and I share the bed, and she slept on the pull-out while the Colonel and was out in his tent. I worried he would get cold, but frankly I wasn't about to give up my bed with Alaska. We had separate blankets, and there were never fewer than three layers between us, but the possibilities kept me up half the night." (Page 92) I think this quote describes the text's theme quite well. It's one of the examples that things are always just out of reach in Miles' life especially when it came to Alaska. The first half and the second half of the book have two themes in my opinion. Miles changes pretty heavily in the second half when Alaska dies. An example of this would be, "The Colonel sat down next to me in religion class, sighed, and said, 'You reek of smoke, Pudge.' 'Ask me if I give a shit'." (Page 157) Pudge eventually calms down and isn't so withdrawn and rude to everyone but he is for awhile after she dies. He seems to be very depressed and frustrated and always takes it out on others. "The Colonel pulled a cigarette out of his pack and threw it into the water. 'What the Hell?' I asked. 'For her,' he said. I half smiled and followed his lead, throwing in a cigarette of my own. I handed Takumi and Lara cigarettes, and they followed suit." (Page 193) This quote describes the tone of the second half of the book quite well because it's a sad sense of closure. These four friends, previously five, all joined together at their favorite spot to commemorate their dead friend by throwing cigarettes into a stream. "'I walked to Montevallo.' 'Forty miles?!' 'Forty-two,' he corrected me. 'Well. Forty-two there. Forty-two back. Eighty-two miles. No. Eighty-four. Yes. Eighty-four miles in forty-five hours.' 'What the hell's in Montevallo?' I asked. 'Not much. I just walked till I got too cold, and then I turned around.' 'You didn't sleep?' 'No! The dreams are terrible. In my dreams, she doesn't even look like herself anymore. I don't even remember what she looked like.'" (Page 149) I know this quote is long but it really shows the difference between Miles and the Colonel when it comes to how they dealt with Alaska's death. They each have their own way of dealing with what could have been prevented and you can't help but feel bad for the them. "...and for a few moments, it was just the three of us-three bodies and two people-the three who knew what had happened and too many layers between all of us, too much keeping us from one another." (Page 152) There is an obvious tone of sadness and hopelessness in this quote that is hard to ignore. Miles wishes he could have done many things before Alaska's death but one thing is that he wishes he told her how he felt about her. I think the author has many purposes for writing this novel but one that really stood out for me was a cliche one and that is Carpe Diem. "I hadn't thought of her smell since she died. But when the Colonel opened the door, I caught the edge of her scent: wet dirt and grass and cigarette smoke, and beneath that the vestiges of vanilla-scented skin lotion." (Page 153) Something as simple as someone's scent is something you almost always take for granted until they are gone. You shouldn't let anything pass you by and you should appreciate everything while you're here. "He was shaken by the overwhelming revelation that the headlong race between his misfortunes and his dreams was at that moment reaching the finish line. The rest was darkness. 'Damn it,' he sighed. 'How will I ever get out of this labyrinth!'" (Page 155) This is a quote from Alaska's favorite book and it was when Pudge went to her room to find it. What Alaska got out of the quote was that the labyrinth of suffering. Not life or death. I think this is important to note because it is probably the biggest and most obvious theme of the book. Alaska takes her own life because she wants out of the labyrinth of suffering and that was the only way she saw fit and it drastically effected the other characters in the story. "'Okay. This is it, though.' He poured a sip of vodka into a Dixie cup, swallowed, pursed his lips, and squeezed his hands into tight little fists. 'Oh god, this is bad. It's so much better with milk. This better be two-four.'" (Page 179) After both of them had their frustrations let out and their mourning period was over they wanted to figure out what drove Alaska to committing suicide. The Colonel had been wanting to do that for awhile but Pudge just told him off every time. This created a tone of curiosity and investigation that was sensed throughout the last quarter or so of the book. "'I know it was y'all,' said the Eagle. We looked at him silently. He often bluffed. Maybe he was bluffing. 'Don't ever do anything like that again,' he said. 'But, Lord, 'subverting the patriarchal paradigm'-it's like she wrote the speech.' he smiled and closed the door." (Page 210) You can't help but smile when you get to this part in the book because it's so sweet and unexpected of the Eagle and the fact that they pulled it off flawlessly was perfect. You feel a sadness for Alaska not being there to do the prank herself but when it was over and done with you feel a happiness that they did it for her and that was the only reason they did it and they all had a part in it. So I know she forgives me, just as I forgive her. Thomas Edison's last words were: 'It's very beautiful over there.' I don't know where there is, but I believe it's somewhere, and I hope it's beautiful." (Page 221) This is the last paragraph of the book and I felt it was appropriate to put as the last quote. It is part of Pudge's essay final and it goes along with the biggest theme that I got out of the book which is finding a way out of the labyrinth but living in it while you can and getting the best out of it. The author is pretty much saying that living is full of suffering so it is like a labyrinth but you should try to make the best out of it while you're here because it will be beautiful and worth it once you get out of it.
CHARACTERIZATION
4. "Dolores insisted that Alaska and I share the bed, and she slept on the pull-out while the Colonel and was out in his tent. I worried he would get cold, but frankly I wasn't about to give up my bed with Alaska. We had separate blankets, and there were never fewer than three layers between us, but the possibilities kept me up half the night." (Page 92) I think this quote describes the text's theme quite well. It's one of the examples that things are always just out of reach in Miles' life especially when it came to Alaska. The first half and the second half of the book have two themes in my opinion. Miles changes pretty heavily in the second half when Alaska dies. An example of this would be, "The Colonel sat down next to me in religion class, sighed, and said, 'You reek of smoke, Pudge.' 'Ask me if I give a shit'." (Page 157) Pudge eventually calms down and isn't so withdrawn and rude to everyone but he is for awhile after she dies. He seems to be very depressed and frustrated and always takes it out on others. "The Colonel pulled a cigarette out of his pack and threw it into the water. 'What the Hell?' I asked. 'For her,' he said. I half smiled and followed his lead, throwing in a cigarette of my own. I handed Takumi and Lara cigarettes, and they followed suit." (Page 193) This quote describes the tone of the second half of the book quite well because it's a sad sense of closure. These four friends, previously five, all joined together at their favorite spot to commemorate their dead friend by throwing cigarettes into a stream. "'I walked to Montevallo.' 'Forty miles?!' 'Forty-two,' he corrected me. 'Well. Forty-two there. Forty-two back. Eighty-two miles. No. Eighty-four. Yes. Eighty-four miles in forty-five hours.' 'What the hell's in Montevallo?' I asked. 'Not much. I just walked till I got too cold, and then I turned around.' 'You didn't sleep?' 'No! The dreams are terrible. In my dreams, she doesn't even look like herself anymore. I don't even remember what she looked like.'" (Page 149) I know this quote is long but it really shows the difference between Miles and the Colonel when it comes to how they dealt with Alaska's death. They each have their own way of dealing with what could have been prevented and you can't help but feel bad for the them. "...and for a few moments, it was just the three of us-three bodies and two people-the three who knew what had happened and too many layers between all of us, too much keeping us from one another." (Page 152) There is an obvious tone of sadness and hopelessness in this quote that is hard to ignore. Miles wishes he could have done many things before Alaska's death but one thing is that he wishes he told her how he felt about her. I think the author has many purposes for writing this novel but one that really stood out for me was a cliche one and that is Carpe Diem. "I hadn't thought of her smell since she died. But when the Colonel opened the door, I caught the edge of her scent: wet dirt and grass and cigarette smoke, and beneath that the vestiges of vanilla-scented skin lotion." (Page 153) Something as simple as someone's scent is something you almost always take for granted until they are gone. You shouldn't let anything pass you by and you should appreciate everything while you're here. "He was shaken by the overwhelming revelation that the headlong race between his misfortunes and his dreams was at that moment reaching the finish line. The rest was darkness. 'Damn it,' he sighed. 'How will I ever get out of this labyrinth!'" (Page 155) This is a quote from Alaska's favorite book and it was when Pudge went to her room to find it. What Alaska got out of the quote was that the labyrinth of suffering. Not life or death. I think this is important to note because it is probably the biggest and most obvious theme of the book. Alaska takes her own life because she wants out of the labyrinth of suffering and that was the only way she saw fit and it drastically effected the other characters in the story. "'Okay. This is it, though.' He poured a sip of vodka into a Dixie cup, swallowed, pursed his lips, and squeezed his hands into tight little fists. 'Oh god, this is bad. It's so much better with milk. This better be two-four.'" (Page 179) After both of them had their frustrations let out and their mourning period was over they wanted to figure out what drove Alaska to committing suicide. The Colonel had been wanting to do that for awhile but Pudge just told him off every time. This created a tone of curiosity and investigation that was sensed throughout the last quarter or so of the book. "'I know it was y'all,' said the Eagle. We looked at him silently. He often bluffed. Maybe he was bluffing. 'Don't ever do anything like that again,' he said. 'But, Lord, 'subverting the patriarchal paradigm'-it's like she wrote the speech.' he smiled and closed the door." (Page 210) You can't help but smile when you get to this part in the book because it's so sweet and unexpected of the Eagle and the fact that they pulled it off flawlessly was perfect. You feel a sadness for Alaska not being there to do the prank herself but when it was over and done with you feel a happiness that they did it for her and that was the only reason they did it and they all had a part in it. So I know she forgives me, just as I forgive her. Thomas Edison's last words were: 'It's very beautiful over there.' I don't know where there is, but I believe it's somewhere, and I hope it's beautiful." (Page 221) This is the last paragraph of the book and I felt it was appropriate to put as the last quote. It is part of Pudge's essay final and it goes along with the biggest theme that I got out of the book which is finding a way out of the labyrinth but living in it while you can and getting the best out of it. The author is pretty much saying that living is full of suffering so it is like a labyrinth but you should try to make the best out of it while you're here because it will be beautiful and worth it once you get out of it.
CHARACTERIZATION
1. An example of direct characterization would be when Miles is describing his two "friends" who show up to show him off to boarding school. He describes them as, "Marie Lawson, a tiny blonde with rectangular glasses, and her chunky (to put it charitably) boyfriend, Will." (Page 4) These two characters aren't in the story very long but the way the author describes them paints a pretty clear picture in my head. Another example would be when he first meets his soon-to-be "best friend" Chip, nickname The Colonel. He describes him as, "...I saw a short, muscular guy with a shock of brown hair... He stood five feet and nothing, but was well-built, like a scale model of Adonis... 'I'm Chip Martin,' he announced in a deep voice, the voice of a radio deejay." (Page 9) It is quite clear how the author portrayed Chip, especially when he says that he is like a scale model of Adonis. An example of indirect characterization would be around the same part as the last quote when he is speaking with Chip. "As soon as he finished 'unpacking,' Chip hit me roughly on the shoulder, said, 'I hope you're stronger than you look,' and walked out the door, leaving it open behind him. He peeked his head back in a few seconds later and saw me standing still. 'Well, come on, Miles To Go Halter. We got shit to do.'" (Page 12) Just this part near the beginning of the book sets in stone that Chip is comical and very much a boy when it comes to rough housing and expecting people to understand what he wants them to do without saying it. A second example of indirect characterization would be when Pudge is talking to Alaska about the labyrinth. "'Suffering,' she said. 'Doing wrong and having wrong things happen to you. That's the problem. Bolívar was talking about the pain, not about the living or dying. How do you get out of the labyrinth of suffering?'" (Page 82) Alaska is big into books and in her favorite one it talks about getting out of the labyrinth and what the labyrinth is exactly. Her take on it is that the labyrinth is suffering and that life is suffering so you must find a way to not suffer while you're here. This part really shows how deep she is and how much she thinks about life even though on the outside she is a trouble making rebel and a prankster.
2. The author's syntax or diction doesn't really change when he talks about the characters. They stay the same throughout the whole story. I think this is okay though because he describes characters very well.
3. The protagonist is very much dynamic. Pudge is this sort of loner who doesn't have any friends and focuses on school work and reading people's last words at the beginning of the story and quickly changes once at boarding school. I think it starts when he meets the Colonel and goes to see Alaska for cigarettes. The first time he smokes is the first time he does something that he has never done before and never thought he would do. From then on he is doing things he never would have done before like participating in pranks, getting drunk, and staying at the boarding school on holidays even though his parents wanted him home. He does all of this while still holding onto his old self by trying to keep up with school work until Alaska's death.
4. I very much felt like I had met someone after finishing this book. I felt that I would do the same things that Pudge had done in certain situations but he was different because he acted in his own way that I wouldn't have sometimes. I could see why he felt like he did at certain parts like after Alaska died and he was frustrated for letting her go. "I kicked off my comforter and, my fist balled, smashed my hand against the wall with each syllable as I said, 'I! DON'T! KNOW! And you know what, it doesn't matter. She's dead. Is the brilliant Colonel going to figure out something that's gonna make her less freaking dead?'" (Page 160) This quote really shows his frustrations with Alaska dying and how he takes it out on other people. I would do the same thing if the girl I love died.
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