Looking for Alaska

Alaska’s literary knowledge and introspective nature comes to the fore at the start of this section, as she shares one of her favorite lines of poetry with Miles: “You shall love your crooked neighbor / With your crooked heart” (taken from William Auden’s ‘As I Walked Out One Evening’). Neither Miles nor the readers know much about Alaska’s background but, as she explains, these words speak of both love and brokenness. She is drawn to these themes, which gesture toward the troubled mindset lurking beneath her fun, playful persona.

This is further emphasized when Alaska refers to a quote by Edna St. Vincent Millay: “Night falls fast. Today is in the past” (from a poem titled ‘Not So Far as the Forest’). As a reader of biographies and connoisseur of last words, Miles is not so knowledgeable about literature and deals primarily in facts. Alaska, by contrast, favors literary quotes that deal with depression and psychological unrest. Indeed, it is notable that she voices this quote while dripping candle wax onto a homemade volcano. This volcano may be part of a science project or an idle pastime but, either way, it serves as an apt metaphor for Alaska’s volatile personality.

Alaska and Miles continue rooting around the Weekday Warriors’ dorm rooms in this section, and, when they watch one of the pornographic movies that have been stashed away, Alaska reiterates her views on gender equality. In her eyes, the scene being depicted is hollow and devoid of any connection between the two people involved. Not only this, she feels that the woman is in a subordinate position. When Miles admits that he finds the movie erotic, however, Alaska laughs and reassures him that this is natural. Despite her serious, feminist rhetoric, she knows that she is more confident and sexually experienced than Miles, and she is often playful in her interactions with him. She therefore gives the impression that she is toying with him somewhat, recognizing him as an awkward adolescent boy rather than the embodiment of patriarchy.

The bond between Alaska and Miles continues to deepen as they spend Thanksgiving together, but he is intimidated by her and sees himself as dull and gawky in comparison. He conveys this contrast to strong effect by likening Alaska to a hurricane and himself to mere drizzle.

While we know little about Alaska’s background, we get some insight into the Colonel’s home life when he invites Miles and Alaska to stay with him for the remainder of Thanksgiving. Miles realizes that the Colonel comes from a relatively poor background and that this is the source of his resentment towards the Weekday Warriors. We also see that the Colonel shares a strong bond with his mother, who is good-humored, unpretentious, and an excellent cook.

Spending Thanksgiving with the Colonel proves to be a good call, as it is a joyful experience that highlights the importance of family and friendship to Miles. Having enjoyed his time spent at the Colonel’s home, he hopes to meet Alaska’s family. However, after happily recalling a joke that her mother told her as a child, Alaska’s mood changes dramatically—and for the worse—and she starts speaking cryptically again. Miles wonders if she is thinking about the incident with Marya, and Alaska reveals that she has told the Colonel that she was the one who ratted. On this note, the Colonel’s reaction does not appear as severe as Takumi had feared, but he no longer trusts her. However, as Alaska comments, she does not even trust herself.

There is clearly more going on than meets the eye here, and Alaska’s vagueness causes Miles to become annoyed: it as though Alaska has two sides to her personality, and this is the side that he does not find so attractive. Both Miles and Alaska are aware of this, with Alaska remarking that he has fallen for an idealized vision of her. Alaska has no illusions about her personality defects, recognizing herself as a troubled, often frustrating individual. Miles may try to push this to the side and lie to himself, but, via his narration, he admits that Alaska is correct in her observations.

While Alaska does not offer any explanation about what has caused her distress, she is evidently wracked with self-recrimination and feels that she always ruins everything. When she comments that “There’s no home,” it also appears that she is not merely scared of being expelled but has a more deep-rooted aversion to going home. In fact, she does not even feel that she has a home. From this, we infer that Miles will not be paying Alaska’s family a visit any time soon.

When Miles visits his own family for Christmas, it rekindles his sense of belonging. Even though he has found a home at Culver Creek, he loves his family and has experienced homesickness. While Alaska dreads going home, Miles’s relationship with his family echoes the bond that he experienced when he stayed with the Colonel. Thanksgiving and the Christmas holidays have therefore emphasized the importance of family, yet, for Alaska, the concepts of home and family seem to evoke unpleasant associations—despite her fond memories of her mother.