The Symbolism of Alaska in John Green’s Novel Looking For Alaska

October 17, 2021 by Essay Writer

John green is the author of Looking for alaska. First friend, first girl, last words, is the words on the front of the book. These words says a lot about the whole book and the content. Because everything is about a girl who´s named Alaska. She’s the main character. This book is not a cliche teenager relationship book, is something different. This book shows things that normal teenagers can relate to and this makes the reader to want to keep reading.

Miles Halter is the protagonist in the book, I don’t think that he´s a normal teeneager. Miles leaves his parents in Florida to go to boarding school in Alabama. The boarding school is named Culver Creek. In the new school he gets a couple of friends which is totally new for him. His mates are called Alaska and Chip and early on in the story they gain a strong relation to each other.

Something that’s unique about Miles is that he likes to “collect” people’s last words. It’s usually well known people but after Alaska’s death he tries to figure out what hers meant. He wonders why she left in such a hurry and afterwards his life changes drastically, again. Chip called Miles for Pudge instead because he thought Miles is to skinny. Miles likes Alaska because he thinks that she is very hot and attractive.

Miles tried to kiss Alaska a few times but she stopped him and said that he shouldn’t ruin their friendship. He thinks she´s confusing her with all of her mood swings and actions. Alaska and Miles maked out when they played truth or dare. They were so drunk that night.

I think that one of the main events of the book is when three unknown people grabbed him from his bed in the middle of the night and duct-tape his arms to his torso and his legs together and thrown him into a lake. But the absolutely main event in the book is when alaska dies in a car accident.

This makes the reader think twice because it turns the whole novel. No One thinks one of the main characters will die before the end of the book, because usually the books ends with someone dying or that the characters live happily for the rest of their life. The day after alaska died gathered the Eagle the whole school together to tell about the tragedy. The Eagle told them that Alaska passed away. Miles will never know her last words or even see her one more time and that destroyed him.

Two quotes that I think describes Alaska’s personality and feelings very well is “you never get me, that’s the whole point”(100 days before page 15) and “there’s no home” ( 44 days before page 24). I think so because Alaska thinks that no one will ever understand how tough childhood she had. And I don’t think she ever felt that she have a home. She thinks that her dad blames her for her mothers death just because she didn’t call the ambulance or him to help her. That’s a hard situation for a child and she shouldn’t blame herself and definitely don’t think that her dad blames her for that, because it’s not she´s fault.

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