How to live and die in John Green’s Looking for Alaska "There are two primary choices in life; to accept conditions as they exist, or accept the responsibility for changing them” (Denis Waitley). The novel Looking for Alaska by John Green is about a formerly lonely boy, Miles also known as Pudge, who is the protagonist and his ultimate goal is to seek a Great Perhaps. He arrives at Culver Creek Boarding School where he is immediately swept away and pulled into a fantasy by the antagonist, Alaska Young. Instantaneously his completely boring life becomes nothing but riveting and he learns to expect the unexpected. One outrageous choice dramatically alters the life of Pudge and he must take responsibility to face the challenges if he wants
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The Colonel is raised in a poor family and to make matters worse his father was abusive toward his mother and abandons her while the Colonel was at the Creek: "He was old when he married my mom, and he still cheated on her...he hit her. And then she kicked him out and he left" (Green 117). The Colonel is now at a crucial point in his life where the choice he decides to make will impact his future. Moreover, the Colonel chooses to become a loyal, hardworking person and not follow in his fathers’ footsteps, nor complain about his life. "The best day of my life is the day I buy my mom a huge #$%*ing house... And I'm not buying it with a mortgage either. I'm buying it with cash money" (Green 116). The Colonel approached his challenges with a positive mindset for the sake of complementing his life and achieving all of his goals. Lastly, the Colonel is offered a scholarship to a very prestigious school, The Creek, where he becomes an instant loyal friend to Pudge and his determination leads to uncovering the biggest mystery, the death of Alaska. The Colonel explains his perspective on life using the following statement: "The labyrinth blows, but I choose it" (Green 216). Although the Colonel's life was faced with many challenges he made choices to fulfill his life with goodness rather than making choices that would have likely led to misery and trouble. …show more content…
When Pudge arrives at the creek his mind is set on seeking the Great Perhaps and he assumes everything is set and stone with the presence of Alaska. Although, when she dies she leaves Pudge on a cliffhanger with a handful of mysteries and perhaps less. "I thought: it's all my fault...I knew she was drunk, upset. Obviously you don't let someone drive drunk and pissed off" (Green 140). Now that Pudge faces the death of a loved one he must make a choice to continue searching for his Great Perhaps or lose hope. He observed the path it led for Alaska and the Colonel when dealing with their trauma and helps guide Pudge in the direction of a suitable life. Furthermore, towards the beginning Pudge is very keen on giving up because Alaska taught him the ‘real’ way of living. Although, as time progresses he perceives that he must stop concentrating on Alaska’s death and take the initiative to learn how to make life in the labyrinth feasible/attainable/viable. "For she had embodied the great perhaps. She had proved to me that it was worth it to leave behind my minor life for grander maybes, and now she was gone and with her my faith in perhaps" (Green 172). At first, Pudge chooses to live in despair however, he becomes aware that it only leads to a dreadful life and
The Colonel is raised in a poor family and to make matters worse his father was abusive toward his mother and abandons her while the Colonel was at the Creek: "He was old when he married my mom, and he still cheated on her...he hit her. And then she kicked him out and he left" (Green 117). The Colonel is now at a crucial point in his life where the choice he decides to make will impact his future. Moreover, the Colonel chooses to become a loyal, hardworking person and not follow in his fathers’ footsteps, nor complain about his life. "The best day of my life is the day I buy my mom a huge #$%*ing house... And I'm not buying it with a mortgage either. I'm buying it with cash money" (Green 116). The Colonel approached his challenges with a positive mindset for the sake of complementing his life and achieving all of his goals. Lastly, the Colonel is offered a scholarship to a very prestigious school, The Creek, where he becomes an instant loyal friend to Pudge and his determination leads to uncovering the biggest mystery, the death of Alaska. The Colonel explains his perspective on life using the following statement: "The labyrinth blows, but I choose it" (Green 216). Although the Colonel's life was faced with many challenges he made choices to fulfill his life with goodness rather than making choices that would have likely led to misery and trouble. …show more content…
When Pudge arrives at the creek his mind is set on seeking the Great Perhaps and he assumes everything is set and stone with the presence of Alaska. Although, when she dies she leaves Pudge on a cliffhanger with a handful of mysteries and perhaps less. "I thought: it's all my fault...I knew she was drunk, upset. Obviously you don't let someone drive drunk and pissed off" (Green 140). Now that Pudge faces the death of a loved one he must make a choice to continue searching for his Great Perhaps or lose hope. He observed the path it led for Alaska and the Colonel when dealing with their trauma and helps guide Pudge in the direction of a suitable life. Furthermore, towards the beginning Pudge is very keen on giving up because Alaska taught him the ‘real’ way of living. Although, as time progresses he perceives that he must stop concentrating on Alaska’s death and take the initiative to learn how to make life in the labyrinth feasible/attainable/viable. "For she had embodied the great perhaps. She had proved to me that it was worth it to leave behind my minor life for grander maybes, and now she was gone and with her my faith in perhaps" (Green 172). At first, Pudge chooses to live in despair however, he becomes aware that it only leads to a dreadful life and