Like in Vincent van Gogh's The Starry Night, Looking for Alaska is magnificent. I see the large obtrusion to the left of the painting to be symbolic of Alaska's death and the stars are the memories that she left with those that she loved. Just like the obtrusion in the painting is sudden and apparent and drawing of attention so is Alaska's death. Both represent mystery and suspension and in that they are able to embody themes. In the so beautiful painting you have a large completely ugly mass and it is hard to believe that both exist in such congruence. When you think of the painting you cant help but to think about it and when you think of Alaska you cant help to not think about the horrible way she dies. Then the small church and town represents how belittle everything in her life is compared to her death and the other symbolic meaning of the blob. The other symbol that it represents is her mothers death and how that put a shadow all over Alaska's life. In the top right you see the moon bright and shining like how Alaska radiated happiness and youthfulness. Overall I feel this painting embodies Alaska's life and death.
In both of John Greens books The Fault in our Stars and Looking for Alaska, the main characters have obsessions about different things one was last words and the other the expresssion "ok". In Looking for Alaska the obsession of memorizing last words plays a big part in influencing Pudge's decision. Pudge also uses last words as a form of communication and a way to bond with others whom he would never know. By getting to know the old Pudge is able to influence his now and make things happen for himself that would have previously never been possible. Pudge's obsession in the novel helps to be a driving force to him finding out about Alaska's death. Since last words have always been a thing of closure and happiness for Pudge the need for them is in his best interests. For Pudge last words have always been the closure great people had. When he is denied this by the way of Alaska's death he is forced to explore her life in her death and find out what happened to her; however, since Pudge never will get his last words he will never get his closure and he will be forever looking for Alaska.
Step one, you say, "We need to talk." He walks, you say, "Sit down. It's just a talk." He smiles politely back at you You stare politely right on through Some sort of window to your right As he goes left and you stay right Between the lines of fear and blame You begin to wonder why you came
how it Relates: Just like how in the song the girl wonders why she came so does Alaska. Alaska contemplates multiple times why she is still here and what the heck is she doing.
Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend Somewhere along in the bitterness And I would have stayed up with you all night Had I known how to save a life
how it relates: Unlike in the song Alaska knows where she went wrong, she went wrong when she didn't call 911. The simple act effects her just like how it effects the person in the song who also didn't know how to save a life.
Let him know that you know best 'Cause after all you do know best Try to slip past his defense Without granting innocence Lay down a list of what is wrong The things you've told him all along Pray to God, he hears you And I pray to God, he hears you
how it relates: the only thing Alaska can do is pray to God that he hears her because she is dead. Alaska like the person in the song believes herself to be innocent and that she knows best.
And where did I go wrong? I lost a friend Somewhere along in the bitterness And I would have stayed up with you all night Had I known how to save a life
how it relates: Unlike in the song Alaska knows where she went wrong, she went wrong when she didn't call 911. The simple act effects her just like how it effects the person in the song who also didn't know how to save a life.
As he begins to raise his voice You lower yours and grant him one last choice Drive until you lose the road Or break with the ones you've followed He will do one of two things He will admit to everything Or he'll say he's just not the same And you'll begin to wonder why you came
how it relates: Unlike in the song Alaska would be the one saying she is just not the same and she would be the one raising her voice, but like in the song she will drive till she losses the road... figuratively speaking at least.
Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend Somewhere along in the bitterness And I would have stayed up with you all night Had I known how to save a life
how it relates: Unlike in the song Alaska knows where she went wrong, she went wrong when she didn't call 911. The simple act effects her just like how it effects the person in the song who also didn't know how to save a life.
Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend Somewhere along in the bitterness And I would have stayed up with you all night Had I known how to save a life
How to save a life
how it relates: Just like in the book Alaska is obsessed with how to save a life. After she couldn't do it she hasnt let it leave her mind and she lets it haunt her day and night.
How to save a life
Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend Somewhere along in the bitterness And I would have stayed up with you all night Had I known how to save a life
how it relates: Unlike in the song Alaska knows where she went wrong, she went wrong when she didn't call 911. The simple act effects her just like how it effects the person in the song who also didn't know how to save a life.
Where did I go wrong? I lost a friend Somewhere along in the bitterness And I would have stayed up with you all night Had I known how to save a life How to save a life
How to save a life
how it relates: In the song and in the book the main characters are in complicated. Also alike is the obsession with the loss of a loved one and the obsession with how to save a life.
Alaska is a key figure and the driving force in this book. She is symbolic of all that youth has to offer the good the bad and the ugly. Alaska is the girl with the edge and yet she is smart. She knows when to talk and when to keep it to herself. She is like Jane in this light. She intentionally withholds information to manipulate the characters she is with while simultaneously drawing them in making them almost addicted. Alaska achieves the sort of Mona Lisa look that intoxicates others and draws them in. She does this with her small grin of I know something you don't. Alaska with all her smarts has all the bad judgement factors that go along with being a teenager especially a teenager that is often left unsupervised and up to no good. In her we see the lightness of a happy spirit and the darkness of a spirit fatigued by a past experience. For Alaska her experience was her mothers death, Alaska was there watched her die and did nothing didn't call 911 rather just went and sat in silence with her mother until her father got home. Her father came home to a dead wife and a daughter who didn't even realize what had happened. This experience continued to eat away at Alaska till she could not take it any longer or maybe it truly was an accident no one will truly know. The experience of her mothers death could have propelled her into a successful career, but rather it continued to eat at her and she began to drink and smoke. Then the night she dies she forgets the anniversary of her mothers death its all over for her. Alaska chose the name means "that which the sea breaks against," and in her life and death Alaska truly does have the seas part against her.
Above is a video of John Green talking about an experience he had back in his hay days at Indian Springs School. He talks about his senior prank that is almost identical to that of the one in Looking for Alaska. So does this and many other facts such as both schools were boarding schools with circles of dorms and ponds indicate that the story is an autobiography? Yes and no. John Greene states multiple times that the stories are similar but different and that had he not have gone to the school he probably would have never written the book. However, he points out multiple times that him and Pudge are completely different people, and to the notions regarding the pranks he says they were a lot different and he was not nearly as involved as Pudge is in the book. So do you think John is exploring the what ifs of his high school career? He most certainly is just as Pudge in the book is sorting through his beliefs and feelings about death, John is sorting through his what ifs in his life. John sorts through the what ifs and the maybe if I was a little more out going? and the what if I had had a different aspect on life? John in his book by sorting through Pudge, Alaska, and the Colonel's issues sorts through the readers issues and allows the reader to experience the what ifs of life in the comfort and security of their own mind.
Culver Creek is comparable to that of Lowood in Jane Eyre; however, Culver Creek is a lot more up beat than Lowood will ever be. Just like Lowood and Culver Creek is a boarding school. Culver Creek used to be all for males like how Lowood is for all females. The indengenous forested areas however have different affects on the plots of the stories. Pudge, Takumi, Colonel, Lara, and Alaska use the forest to do mysterious dangerous expulsionable things while Jane uses the forest just to observe and have fun in. The different forests give different moods to their stories and allow the characters to develop off of these moods. Culver Creek and Lowood both have challenging academic loads that they put on their students. These loads produce different outcomes in each novel. At Culver Creek it produces an environment that is competive and drives many to rebel to let lose in their free time while at Lowood the hard academic load produces ladies who are uptight and subservient to what others tell them to do. Both Culver Creek and Lowood have a death take place while the main character is there that is important to the story. Both schools have strict head masters who want to catch you doing anything and everything wrong. However the Eagle is sane and tries to be reasonable and allows the students to get away with breaking rules in times of death. Also Culver Creek and Lowood have different food situations. Pudge finds the food at Culver Creek just delectibale and the best he has ever had helping him with the transition into the life their where as at Lowood the food is horrible and makes the situation and transition to life there even worse.