Looking for Alaska Novel Examination

1. The title of the novel shows a great significance because throughout the novel one of the main characters named Alaska was struggling to get out of her labyrinth. She was looking for herself while trying to escape her sufferings. After her death her friends took over her search to put the pieces together for her. Other titles that could be used for this novel would be Alaska's labyrinth or Searching for Alaska. The following titles sound very familiar to the orignial, therefore the title was well chosen.

2. The most important chapter of the novel Looking for Alaska would be the concluding one because this is when Pudge realizes everything he was missing throughout the story. He goes through something very simular to Alaska with her mother. He sets an example for everyone to let go of things we can not control. The overall meaning of the story is to move forward past all the struggles in life and use the suffering to learn more about yourself. The last chapter ties the meaning with the story completely.

3. The most important quote in the novel would be by Alaska when she says "That's the mystery, isn't it? Is the labyrinth living or dying? Which is he trying to escape- the world or the end of it?" This relates to the novel as a whole because Alaska is looking for the end of her own labyrinth. She states later on she believes the labyrinth is the suffering in the world. Some could say Alaka found the end to her labyrinth by slamming into the police cruiser. The real labyrinth was within herself.

5. The most important character would be Alaska. One can tell not only by the title of the book but by the contents within it. Alaska struggled with simular things most of the teenage generation deals with in present time. A teen is at the age to where they know what is happening around them however, they have no ability to control it. Most things in life are uncontrollable and Alaska could not accept that. She was a lesson for others, including pudge. Pudge says in the end he will forgive himself because he knows that is exactly what Alaska should have done with her mother.

8. The event of Alaska dying in a car accident is simular to the death of my grandmother. She was not drunk or driving away her sorrows however, she was killed suddenly in a metal contraption just as Alaska was. Pudge had to deal with this event and realize it was not his fault. He came to conclusions Alaska forgave him and he forgave himself. He knew he could not hold Alaska's death on his back. I am still learning to do the same with my grandmother. I thought if I would have said or done things differently, then somehow I could have changed it. Dealing with her death is my own personal suffering much like pudge's with Alaska.

14. Pudge in Looking for Alaska is very simular to the character Charlie in The Perks of being a Wallflower. They both lived in the shadows without any friends or communication with the outside world. In time both characters progress finding friends and dealing with their problems. In the ending they learned something new about themselves and who they want to become. Pudge and Charlie are both wallflowers in their own way.