Looking for Alaska

Fiction | Novel | YA | Published in 2005

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more. For select classroom titles, we also provide Teaching Guides with discussion and quiz questions to prompt student engagement.

Download PDF

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

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Symbols & Motifs

The Labyrinth

Alaska first mentions the concept of the labyrinth, which features in a book that she has been reading: The General in His Labyrinth. This is an account of the last days of the military leader Simon Bolivar, whose last words are, “How do I get out of this labyrinth!” Alaska is fascinated with this question, though, to begin with, she is unsure what the labyrinth symbolizes. Initially, she thinks that it symbolizes either life or death, but she comes to the conclusion that the labyrinth is suffering. The question, then, is how to find a way out. Based on Alaska’s notes (which Miles and the Colonel find after her death), her answer would seem to be “straight and fast.” Whether she killed herself as a means of achieving this exit, no one knows for sure. In any case, her death would see to exemplify this method of departure.

Miles is puzzled by the idea of the labyrinth for the most part, but, by the end of the novel, he has concluded that the way out of the labyrinth is forgiveness. A life of guilt, blame, and resentment is a life of suffering, and only forgiveness can set a person free. The Colonel, meanwhile, agrees with Alaska’s view that “straight and fast” would seem to be the only way out, but he prefers to remain in the labyrinth. The labyrinth may indeed entail suffering, but the Colonel would rather choose a difficult life than an easy death.

The labyrinth, then, serves as a pivotal motif and is thought-provoking for both the characters and readers. It epitomizes the philosophical themes that run throughout the novel and raises the twofold question of what the labyrinth is and how one might find a way out.

White Flowers

When Miles notices some white tulips in her dorm room, Alaska tells him that they were an anniversary present from Jake. They gain greater significance later in the novel, however, when they are found in her car following her death. These flowers therefore form part of the puzzle that emerges in the aftermath of the tragedy.

Takumi is able to shed some light on the matter when he recalls an incident that had taken place the previous year. He had been seated at the Smoking Hole when Alaska spotted a daisy on the bank of the creek. She waded through the water to grab it, explaining that her parents used to put white flowers in her hair when she was a child. This suggests that she may have drawn a connection between the white tulips and her late mother.

As Miles and his friends investigate, they find out that Alaska had drawn the image of a flower while on the telephone to Jake. This prompted her to remember something and she became hysterical as a result. They consequently deduce that the doodle made Alaska realize that she had forgotten the anniversary of her mother’s death. As Takumi also reveals, she looked for some flowers on the school grounds before driving away that night but was unable to find any. This appears to be why she had taken the white tulips with her—she planned to put them on her mother’s grave.

This does not explain whether Alaska’s death was accidental or whether she made a sudden decision to commit suicide. Whatever the case, white flowers carry special significance for her, and it is her doodle of such a flower that provokes her frenzied response and subsequent actions.

The Swan

The swan can be found near the lake at Culver Creek and is dubbed “the spawn of Satan” (16) by the Colonel due to its aggressive manner. It was put there by the Eagle in order to deter students from walking around the lake in order to smoke, and Miles incites its wrath during the prank on the Weekday Warriors. He is maimed but escapes along with Takumi.

Aside from its practical function, the swan can be seen to share similarities with Alaska. Swans are typically regarded as beautiful creatures that symbolize purity and gracefulness, and Miles is entranced by Alaska’s beauty. However, as he comes to realize, Alaska’s personality is far from tranquil, and he is perturbed and confused by her mood swings: as Alaska remarks, he has fallen for a romanticized, idealized image of her, not the real thing. So, in the same way that the swan’s beautiful exterior belies its aggressive behavior, Alaska’s beauty masks a troubled, volatile character that does not fall in line with the fantasy that Miles has cultivated.

Miles recognizes that Alaska can be unpredictable and potentially untrustworthy, so, in one sense, he is wary of her as well as the swan. Also, as with warnings about the swan, both the Colonel and Takumi warn Miles about Alaska’s behavior and some of her more frustrating character traits. Still, in the same way that the cultural trope of the graceful, beautiful swan has persisted, Miles remains drawn to Alaska on account of her beauty and the fascination that she exercises upon him.