Looking for Alaska starts off with Miles Halter leaving his home town in Florida in search for the Great Perhaps (the last words of Francois Rabelais) at Culver Creek Preparatory High School in Alabama; the same boarding school his father had attended when he was younger. At the beginning of the book Miles is seen as a bit of an outcast with little friends and a weird habit of memorizing people’s last words.
Miles arrives at Culver Creek and soon meets his new roommate, Chip Martin “the Colonel”, a short guy who has a hate for all the rich kids at the school and has a habit of memorizing countries. The Colonel ironically nicknames Miles “Pudge” because of how tall and skinny he is. That same day, the Colonel introduces Miles to a very attractive yet emotionally unstable girl down the hall: Alaska Young. Alaska is gorgeous, funny, smart, and incredibly destructive. Miles is fascinated with her the moment they meet. Miles is also introduced to Takumi, a thin Japanese guy who is just a little bit taller than the Colonel.
The Colonel doesn’t just introduce Miles to his friends, but also to cigarettes, alcohol, and pranks, something Miles had never been too familiar with. That first day at Culver Creek, Alaska tells Miles about the last words of Simon Bolivar, “Damn it. How will I ever get out of this labyrinth!” They both don’t know what exactly the labyrinth is and so they decide to make a deal: If Miles finds out what the labyrinth is then Alaska will get him laid.
That first night at the school, Miles is taken from his bed, duct-taped, and thrown in the lake near the school by a group of weekday warriors. Weekday warriors are what they all call the rich kids at Culver Creek. Miles gets out of the lake drenched and in just his box...
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... at the back of the book, under the line about getting out of the labyrinth. “Damn it. How do I get out of this labyrinth!” Straight & fast she wrote. That was the way out. Later they find out that Alaska’s death was one day after her mother’s, and then they think that that was really the only way out there was for Alaska: straight and fast right into the police car.
Throughout the book Miles’ character grows greatly. He starts out as a boring and friendless boy, but grows into someone who makes great friends and memories to cherish. Alaska’s death doesn’t make him believe any less in the Great Perhaps, because not believing would mean giving up, and he saw how that ended with Alaska. Miles realizes that their letting Alaska go doesn't matter as much anymore. He forgives her for leaving drunk that night just as he knows that she forgives him for letting her go.
Miles Pruitt is the center of this story; he is going through life in attempt to avoid the hardships it throws at him. He has to cope with the misfortunes that come with love, and by the end of the story, Miles will finally come to realize that his decisions to go through life untouched will not pay off.
As a way of celebrating Alaska's life, Miles and the Colonel, with Takumi and Lara, plan the most epic prank ever seen by Culver Creek Boarding School that involves a class speaker and at the same time a stripper, who happens to be Miles' father. Everyone finds it hilarious that Mr. Starnes even acknowledges how clever it was. Pudge finds Alaska's copy of ”The General in His Labyrinth” with the labyrinth quote underlined and notices the words "straight and fast" written in the margins. He then remembers Alaska died on the morning after her mother's death anniversary and thought that Alaska felt guilty for not visiting her mother's grave. In her hysteresis, she might have been trying to reach the cemetery or might have committed suicide out
In John Green’s “ Looking for Alaska,” One of the students attend Culver Creek Boarding School in Alabama, is Chip Martin or a.k.a The Colonel. Chip is a young adult who loves to break rules and do whatever it is that he wants to do with his life. But, he also is a compassionate person ,who takes others feeling and requests into consideration. Even though he left to have Thanksgiving with his mom, when Alaska and Miles are left by themselves at the Creek during the holiday, Chip comes back and is” instructed to invite you to Thanksgiving dinner at Chez Martin,” to Alaska and Miles. The reader can see that Chip is teenager who never leaves his friends hanging. He had come back to the Creek to enjoy Thanksgiving with his friends by inviting
Once Miles has realized and forgiven himself he has ultimately matured and faced the fact that what happened was real and final finds the true meaning ‘being present’. Green shows Pudge’s determination not give up on himself and to stick with what he ultimately wanted, ‘the great perhaps’. As Miles's truly acknowledged the truth he has set a pathway for him in a science that he wasn't going to stop and he was going to keep persevering and this subsequently helps him mature more into an adult. By taking the advice of his professor Hyde he truly understands what he meant when he said you need to be present” (Green). Green shows the true meaning of being present as Miles embodies that very meaning and has ultimately upheld the meaning of being mature and being an adult. To be an adult Miles needed to understand and exactly compared how in life anything can be given as quickly as it can be taken away. Only through forgiveness Miles could overcome her death and only through forgiveness could he truly become self-aware. Had this not happen, Miles would be lost, had this not have occurred he would be able to mature and ultimately fail the test of maturity and could’ve ended up like his friend
Imagine you are sitting at home. You just finished the fantastic, award winning novel, Looking For Alaska, and are dying to read another story written by John Green. You gaze upon Paper Towns, you read it, and feel like you just finished Looking a For Alaska again. Have you ever wanted to choose a book written by your favorite author, but find out it is the same plot and idea as a book you have already read! This is a problem that many readers find with authors. He isn't the only one, but he is very popular currently. This paper is not specifying that John Green is a bad author, but that two of his books are very similar. The book Paper Towns is a copy of the book Looking For Alaska.
In the time that Miles spent at Culver Creek he often saw the romance that went on between his peers. Chip and Alaska’s on-and-off relationship, and his own awkward experience with Lara Buterskaya. Finally, the relationship he has with Alaska develops from friendship to love. When Miles and Alaska kiss, their relationship becomes awkward. Alaska’s death caused Miles to realize that he loved Alaska for making his life better and for the special times they shared.
In the book, “Looking for Alaska”, you are presented with one of the main characters in the first paragraph, Miles Halter. Miles is a not- so- popular kid from Florida, who has a strange obsession with knowing famous last words. His home life was lacking excitement, before moving to Florida, and he realizes that he craves the unknown. Miles was accepted into Culver Creek boarding school in Alabama, his parents insisted on throwing him a going away party with the friends he never had. After the final Friday came, packing was done, Miles, his mom and dad waited for the guests to arrive. Two people attend the party who were greatly insignificant in his life, and questioned why he was going to boarding school. His answer: Francois Rabelais. He
Alaska’s death causes a main turning point in the book because she impacted so many people. She was the person who Pudge fell in love with, she was the Colonel and Takumi’s best friend, and the was the “cool girl” at Culver Creek. Some of the things Alaska said gave the friends a hint that she didn’t care to die. For example Alaska says this talking about why they smoke cigarettes, “Ya’ll smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die.” This showed that Alaska didn’t care if she died from smoking cigarettes. Everyone was wondering why she had said this but she blatantly told them she didn’t care if she
Miles became obsessed with finding answers, ignoring his original idea of a “Great Perhaps.” Over the Thanksgiving break, he spent the time with Alaska, trying to figure her out and unlock her secrets. She always said how important friendship is and to never rat someone out. But why was it ever such a big deal?
Early on in the novel Miles admits his feelings for Alaska; but just to himself, of course. Over Culver Creeks Thanksgiving break most students leave to visit their families, but Alaska has chosen to stay on campus, therefore Miles decides to follow her lead in hopes of furthering a relationship with her. When Miles and Alaska are left alone on campus, they snoop through the rooms of their classmates to see who they truly are, and eventually Alaska falls asleep next to Miles after their secret exploration. As Alaska peacefully sleeps, Miles thinks to himself in possibly the novel's most famous paragraph: "I wanted so badly to lie down next to her on the couch, to wrap my arms around her and sleep. Not f***, like in those movies. Not even have sex. Just sleep together in the most innocent sense of the
"So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane. (pg 88)" said Miles in the book Looking for Alaska. What Miles then had realized he was being swept off with his feet by his new friend Alaska. Alaska Young is a gorgeous but a haphazard girl. Her looks indicate that she has everything together, but her problems tell otherwise. Chip, or as he wishes to be called 'Colonel' is Alaska's boyfriend. His good looks are inveigle; his arrogance and his drinking make him less of a man in the eyes of his peers. Unfortunately, the two boys, Miles and Chip become roommates at Culver Creek and both fall in love with Alaska. Before Alaska can choose a boyfriend, a life
They were running out of times, the aliens seemed to have super speed and caught up to the team real fast. As soon as they knew it, they were surrounded by the aliens. They all sat there thinking what to do next, but for miles, he was thinking of something different. Miles started thinking back to his childhood because of what was going on in the moment. He remembered back to when his dad was still around and how much of a bad person he was. The fear that Miles was facing in that moment was the same fear he felt when he was younger. He hates when this stuff happens because it really messes with his head.
The main theme in the book is friendship, because Miles, Alaska, and Chip rely on each other constantly to be there. "But we will deal with those bastards, Pudge. I promise you. They will regret messing with one of my friends.” “And if the Colonel thought that calling me his friend would make me stand by him, well, he was right.” (Green 127) They all entered one another’s lives at the perfect time, they needed one another. Miles encountered many different situations throughout the book where he had to make decisions. Alaska and Miles chose to follow the Great Perhaps, and when reading the book you get to see where that leads them. The amount of love that John Green connected the characters together with is impeccable, it makes you want that kind of relationship within your friend group. Miles would do anything for Alaska, he craved her attention. The colonel and Miles created a brotherly bond, from the time they first met till now, where they couldn’t bare to live without each other. The book may end in a tragedy but the combinations of love, friendship, and selflessness will keep you from putting the book
How will Alaska Young escape her labyrinth? Looking for Alaska, by John Green, writes a young adult realistic fiction novel accompanied with romance, death, grief, and loss. Green encompasses different themes throughout the novel. The most important theme Green embodies in Looking for Alaska is death. Looking for Alaska takes place on campus at Culver Creek Preparatory High School located in Birmingham, Alabama. Miles “Pudge” Halter moves to Culver Creek Boarding School in hopes of finding the “Great Perhaps.” Pudge is pulled into Alaska Young’s world, she hurls him into the Great Perhaps, and makes him fall in love with her. This succeeding review of Looking for Alaska will incorporate an observation of one of the main characters Alaska Young and the following theme death.
Alaska has many hidden secrets that have yet to be discovered. The unique state has a history that very few states can match. Many people risked their lives to set foot on the land in the past, where they thought they might find gold and live a life of prosperity. Today, people are still traveling there to see the wonders that Alaska holds. According to the three documents, the commonalities between the three research pieces is that the unique, treacherous state called Alaska was difficult to explore in the past, and still difficult to explore today.