Looking for Alaska

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2005

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Summary

Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapters 1-5

Chapters 6-10

Chapters 11-15

Chapters 16-20

Chapters 21-25

Chapters 26-30

Chapters 31-35

Chapters 36-40

Chapters 41-45

Chapters 46-50

Chapters 51-55

Chapters 56-58

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

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Discussion Questions

Chapters 11-15Chapter Summaries & Analyses

Chapter 11 Summary

Miles and his friends are smoking cigarettes in their usual spot when they are interrupted by the sound of crackling branches: the Eagle has spotted them, and he tells them that he will see them at Jury the next day. After he leaves, Alaska comments that the Eagle loves the students but loves the school more, and he believes that enforcing order is for everyone’s good. Miles is surprised by Alaska’s philosophical reaction to having been caught, but she tells him that, even though battles may sometimes be lost, “mischief always wins the war” (56).

Chapter 12 Summary

The Jury is a unique feature of Culver Creek and comprises twelve students. The Eagle, meanwhile, acts as Judge and has authority to overturn the Jury’s verdict. As Miles and his friends await their trial, Alaska is nervous: this is the seventh time that she has been caught smoking, and she does not want to upset her father. Miles asks Alaska whether her mother smokes, and she replies, “Not anymore” (57).

Once they are seated in the classroom, the Colonel explains what happened on the day in question and apologizes for their behavior, assuring the Jury that it will not happen again. After further questioning, the Eagle sends them outside while the Jury reaches its verdict. When they return, Alaska and the Colonel are sentenced to ten hours doing dishes in the cafeteria—one more infraction and their families will receive a phone call. As the Eagle did not see Miles or Takumi smoking, they are let off with a warning, but Eagle again warns Miles not to abuse his privileges at the school.

Chapter 13 Summary

Alaska announces to Miles that she has found him a girlfriend: the Romanian girl, Lara, he first met on the way to the study date at McDonalds. Lara thinks he is cute, but Alaska is worried that Miles will be inarticulate and that a date between them would be a disaster. This is why she has set up a “triple-and-a-half” date comprising Miles and Lara, the Colonel and Sara, and Jake and herself, as well as Takumi.

Chapter 14 Summary

It is the day of the “triple-and-a-half-date,” and the group is watching another basketball game at the gym. Miles meets Jake and wants to hate him, but he and Alaska seem happy together—really, Miles would like to be him, despite Lara being his own assigned date.

The Colonel starts taunting a player of the opposing team, who is six-foot-seven and nicknamed the Beast, yelling that Takumi slept with his girlfriend before the game. Though the Colonel was not planning on making his getaway until he was officially kicked out, Takumi is nervous when the Beast starts walking towards them, and he consequently runs away. Miles follows but falls down when the basketball hits him in the face. He manages to get up and walk out of the gym, but, when his friends ask him whether he is okay, he vomits over Lara. He apologizes, saying that he is experiencing nausea and dizziness, and Takumi and Lara drive him to hospital.

The doctor tells him to go home and get some sleep, and, the next morning, Miles wakes to find that Sara has split up with the Colonel. As the Colonel explains, Sara “told Jake that I had a hard-on for Alaska” and Alaska had started yelling at Sara, saying “You've violated the sacred covenant between women! How will stabbing one another in the back help women to rise above patriarchal oppression?!” Jake responded by saying that Alaska would never cheat, and the Colonel called Sara a “crazy bitch” (65). This prompted Sara to break up with him, but the Colonel is sad: he says that he really cares about her, and she is the only girl he has ever slept with.

When the Colonel wonders what he will do now, Miles says that he can fight with him instead. To this, the Colonel remarks, “I can't be mad at you, you harmless skinny bastard” (66).

Chapter 15 Summary

It starts to rain three days later, and the students spend most of their time indoors. Miles is avoiding Lara, even though she says that what happened on their date was not a big deal, and Alaska has been keeping to herself. When Miles sees Alaska sitting alone in the cafeteria, he asks her how she has been, but she says that she is not in the mood to answer questions. Miles asks her if he has done anything wrong and she says that he has not, but he finds her manner condescending: it is as if “a boy enduring his first biblical rainstorm couldn't possibly understand her problems—whatever they were” (68).

Chapter 11–Chapter 15 Analysis

The Eagle demonstrates the aptness of his nickname at the start of this section when he spots Miles and his friends at the smoking den and summons them to Jury. Here, we learn that the school has its own jury made up of students, with the Eagle serving as Judge. Alaska also comments that the Eagle’s vigilance and strictness is not driven by malice or pettiness: it would seem that he genuinely believes that he is acting in the school’s best interests. As Miles observes, Alaska’s reaction is surprisingly mellow, but she claims that this incident is a minor setback.

By contrast, Alaska is noticeably less relaxed as she awaits Jury. Here, we learn that she has now been caught smoking seven times and is on thin ice. When she says that she does not want to upset her father, Miles asks if her mother smokes and she responds, “Not anymore.” This statement seems insignificant at the time, but, when Miles learns about Alaska’s background later on, it takes on a weightier meaning.

As for their punishment, they are lucky: Miles and Takumi receive a warning (as the Eagle did not actually see them smoking), while Alaska and the Colonel are sentenced to a spell of washing dishes. Miles is confused, however, as to why Alaska and the Colonel took all the blame—despite having the most to lose. It is not until later in the novel that he recognizes the significance of what has occurred. It is apparent, though, that Alaska and the Colonel are not willing to rat on their friends and that they know how to act during the trial. It is as though they (along with Takumi) are the teachers and Miles is the pupil.

Alaska had promised to find Miles and girlfriend earlier in the novel, and, in this section, she informs him that she has found a suitable candidate in Romanian exchange student, Lara. Unlike Alaska and the Colonel, though, Miles is not the most confident, articulate individual; especially around girls. Alaska is well aware of this and has therefore decided that they should all go on a casual group outing to the school’s upcoming basketball game.

All goes well to start with, and, surprisingly, Miles finds that he does not feel anger or resentment towards Jake (who is attending as Alaska’s date). Even though Jake is good-looking and in a relationship with the girl that he covets, he does not hate Jake but would like to be him. As he watches them “smiling and fumbling all over each other,” he cannot find it in himself to feel vindictive—indeed, Alaska and Jake seem to have a strong rapport and to be genuinely happy to see each other. Miles is also fascinated by the sight of Alaska kissing. He has perceived her as a sensual figure from their first meeting, and, now, he sees her exercise her passionate side. Her interactions with Jake therefore speak to his own fantasy scenario, with Jake serving as an alter ego.

Like Alaska, the Colonel once again shows his confident, brash nature in this section, maintaining his habit of heckling during basketball games. As one of the opposing players starts walking towards them, both Takumi and Miles are understandably anxious and make a run for it, only for Miles to get hit on the head with a basketball. The “date” takes a particular nosedive here when Miles vomits on Lara and spends the evening in hospital. This would seem to constitute a disastrous first-date experience, but Lara accompanies Miles to hospital and he notices her smiling at him. So, while she can hardly have expected the date to pan out in this way, she does not dismiss Miles based on this incident and she comes across as a caring individual.

The Colonel’s relationship with Sara, by contrast, is marked by incessant arguing, and Miles wakes the following morning to learn that Sara has broken up with the Colonel. This would seem to be for the best, yet the Colonel reveals that he cares about her. His grief is minor in comparison to that depicted elsewhere in the novel, and he bounces back quickly. However, his response demonstrates that loss can bring about sadness, even where what has been lost is far from ideal. The Colonel is also so used to fighting with Sara that he does not know what to do with himself now. This prompts Miles to joke that they can fight with each other instead, but, in the same way that Alaska regards Miles as “cute,” the Colonel perceives him as a harmless, diminutive figure.