SUMER READING ASSIGNMENT: Entry 2

Looking for Alaska contains several complex characters that are each different in their own way.

Pudge can be viewed as a very awkward person. He doesn't have very many friends, close to none and chooses to instead have his nose stuck in biographies. he memorizes the last words of famous people and as mentioned in my last entry, is out to seek "a Great Perhaps" in order to give his life meaning. Pudge is very firm in finding a place of belonging and improved life at his new school in Alabama. His character develops greatly throughout the story. When he first arrives to Culver Creek and begins to meet people, you can tell that he lacks a great deal of social skills and can be easily considered as the innocent one in the group. The colonel and Alaska both smoke, drink, play pranks and more. Pudge has never experienced any of these activities which later become a symbol of friendship for the group. As time passes, Pudge develops a strong identity for himself. He overcomes his shy nature and becomes more independent. He no longer relies on his parents and other people to make decisions for him. But instead, he makes them for himself. The Colonel and Alaska also teach him what true friendship is and how to live a more exciting life.

Alaska is most certainly the most important character of the book. She is viewed as the gorgeous, rebellious, and self-destructive but fascinating teen. She lives the life of the party and doesn't care about the rules in place. She often doesn't think about the consequences of her actions which causes her to be reckless. The whole story revolves around her and her mysterious nature. Ever since the death of her mother , and the guilt she's carried, she's impulsive and quickly makes her decisions in fear of messing up that bad again. Although she is the most outgoing person in the group, she is often very moody leaving the other charcters confused as to how she is feeling. In other words, she's exteremly hard to read. Since she lives her life in regret and guilt, this could be the main source of her moodieness but it's hard to know for sure. Alaska is a very independent person and came to Culver Creek to get away from her home. After she makes a decision that was clearly not thought through, Colonel and Pudge dedicate their lives to figuring out the mystery of Alaska.

The Colonel is a very straight forward character. Very intelligent, and is important to the story because he's been friends with Alaska for a long time and becomes a stablility for Pudge. He comes from a poor background, but you are often reminded throughout the story how much of a genious he is. He knows every county by heart and later memorizes each and every capitol. He's considered the leader of the group. He's very protective of his mother and each of his friends and is always there for others. Colonel is important to the story because he too adds an element of mystery just like Alaska. But he's a different kind of mystery. He's a very confusing individual and hard to understand sometimes but is Pudge's best friend.

Each of these characters adds a different dynamic to the story and makes it more interesting in their own way. One of the biggest themes of the book is how will we all get out of the labryinth of suffering? Some view the labrynth as the suffering of life. Others view it as the escape from death. Pudge realizes this and comes to the conclusion that the labryinth does not have a singular meaning - rather, it represents personal struggling. another theme that is very important to the book is the meaning of friendship and how beautiful is. In the beginning, Pudge struggled with making friends and really didn't understand the meaning of true friendship. But by the end, he cherishes the friendships he has developed and realizes that he has found his "Great Perhaps" and a meaning to his life.