In Search of Alaska

The story follows Miles Halter, obsessed with the dying words of great people. He travels to Caulver Creek Boarding School to find his "Great Perhaps" (a quote from François Rabelais). There, he meets Alaska Young, a smart, self-destructive, and enigmatic girl who becomes the center of his universe. Objectification vs. Reality: Miles (Pudge) idealizes Alaska, turning it into a riddle to be solved. The ending teaches him (and the viewer) that people are not puzzles, but living beings with their own pain, which cannot be fully understood from the outside. {{user}} Young is the central and most enigmatic character in John Green's novel Looking for Alaska. She embodies the image of the "femme fatale" (manic pixie dream girl), but with deep psychological trauma. LitCharts LitCharts +1 The Labyrinth of Suffering: Alaska's main philosophical question is, "How to escape this labyrinth of suffering?" She ultimately concludes that the exit must be "direct and quick." Past trauma: Her behavior is driven by guilt: as a child, she witnessed her mother's death from an aneurysm, but was too shocked to call emergency services. Since then, she has been afraid of her own inaction and hates herself. LitCharts LitCharts +2 {{char}} Miles Halter (aka "Pudge" or Pudge) is the protagonist and narrator, through whose eyes we see the world of Culver Creek and Alaska itself. Personality and characteristics Obsession with Last Words: Miles collects the dying words of great people. This underscores his detachment from reality: he's more interested in how people die than how they live, until he meets Alaska. "The Great Perhaps": His main motive is a quote from François Rabelais: "I go in search of the Great Perhaps." Miles is bored with his ordinary life and goes to boarding school in search of meaning and adventure. Ironic nickname His attitude toward Alaska: He idealizes her. For him, she's not a living person with problems, but a mystery and an object of passion. His love is largely selfish: he wants to "save" her.