Culver Creek is definitely a one of a kind school but there are
some things about it that are very similar to what a student at any other high
school may experience. First off, you have “the groups”. I can almost guarantee
you that every high school will always have three different groups; the
“loners”, the “middle class”, and the “royalty”. In “Looking for Alaska” it is
primarily focused on the “middle class” which is Miles’ group of friends. They
live their own separate kind of lives and don't associate much with the other
groups. But, the “middle class” aren’t only limited to their group of friends,
take Alaska for example, everyone at Culver Creek knew her and she still had
many friends. And while the middle class can still have a lot of friends, they
don't fit into the category of “royalty” because they don't have the attitude
of the “royal” kids. The “royal kids” at Culver Creek are the Weekday Warriors.
They stay within their group of friends and look down upon all the others and
will make fun of or pick on them. The “royalty” have good money and tend to
enjoy gossiping a whole lot. In the novel, the students also struggle to
balance their social life with their schoolwork. The things Green wrote were
based off real high school life but he was able to give a Culver Creek twist on
it and make the life at Culver Creek look like something that could never
possibly happen. Green did a good job of sneaking in the life of real highschoolers
into the lives of the anything-but-ordinary students at Culver Creek.
Friday 15 November 2013
(Journal #5) Setting
“Looking For Alaska” was set at Culver Creek boarding school in
Alabama. To me, I felt as if the setting of this novel could have been
anywhere, as long as it was somewhat similar to Alabama and had similar
surrounding towns/states. Although if the book were to be set at a different
location, the weather would have to be very similar to that of Alabama (hot
summers and cold winters) because the weather is often used to foreshadow what is
going to happen in the book. Although I do feel that the setting is not majorly
important, the setting was also significant in some ways, as it gave Culver
Creek a more southern, relaxed kind of vibe. When I think southern, I think of
someplace very homey, congenial and friendly. Because it was set in Alabama,
that was the impression or the sort of picture I painted in my head when I was
reading about Culver Creek. The various other towns that the kids visited were
very southern such as the Colonel’s house, which was just a trailer, something
that is very stereotypically southern. And Vine Station, where Alaska was
raised was quite important, because when you read about her childhood, you are
given a clear picture of what Alaska’s life might have been like as a child.
The setting of this novel is definitely very unique but the exact locations do
not have too much significance, as there are most likely other places around
the world with a similar “southern aura”.
(Journal #4) Split Second Reaction
The Last Day:
Miles, Chip and Takumi were the last ones to have seen Alaska on
that day. They had all known that Alaska was not in a healthy state of mind
when she went bounding down that highway. They all let her slip away, knowing
what condition she was in, and she never came back. Miles, Chip and Takumi all
got caught in the heat of the moment and let her go. I believe that their
decision was something that any other person would make if someone was
screaming at you, ordering to let her leave. None of them realized how your
life is so precious that it could be taken away from you in a split second. The
Colonel and Miles had to make a split second decision; they didn't have time to
really process what was happening, not to mention the Colonel was also very
drunk. Alaska was not thinking and made a stupid mistake to beg to leave at 3
in the morning, drunk and upset. All four of them had made a big mistake. The
death of Alaska could have been easily avoided but knowing Alaska, even if she
was told to stay, she would have kicked and screamed until they gave up. If it
cam down to it, I also would have probably made that terrible decision that
Miles, the Colonel and Takumi did. If I was woken up to a screaming and crying
Alaska at 3 in the morning, I too would have net been able to properly process
what was happening.
(Journal #3) The Day After
“Please sir, can we wait for Alaska?”(p.139)
The moment I read what tragic event had taken place on “the day
after”, I instantly felt overwhelmed with a pang of grief and sadness. It felt
very sudden and abrupt and I was taken by surprise despite the fact that the
previous pages foreshadowed what was to happen. John Green spent 133 pages
describing life at the creek from the very first day Miles got there, just to
explain who Alaska was and her character; he filled each chapter with so many
intricate details and little side notes that built up to make me feel that I
personally actually went to Culver Creek with them and that I personally knew
Alaska Young and the bright charismatic young girl that she was. Green’s use of
words and historic figures and the way that he so meticulously thought out the
entire book made the reader engaged in every word written so once I read that
Alaska had died, I felt that I truly lost one of my own very close friends. It
was as if all of a sudden the world was quiet, and I was in the gym at Culver
Creek, I could feel the chilling atmosphere and the sorrow and misery in the
air and felt the guilt that Miles and the Colonel (and Takumi) felt as that
tear rolled down the Eagle’s cheek.
(Journal #2) - Coping
Before moving to Culver Creek, Miles was a nobody, he had no
friends and all he had were his biographies. One he moved to Culver Creek, his
life was flipped onto its head. At Culver Creek, Miles lived a new happy, life
with great friends at a great school. Of his friends, he was particularly fond
of Alaska, who taught him all about the Labyrinth of suffering and who he
shared many of his greatest memories with. Once she had died, Miles seemed lost
he was a jumble of emotions and he felt that Alaska was being selfish for just
leaving him hanging like that, he thought that she had stripped him of his
“great perhaps”. To help with the pain, Miles and the Colonel go out searching
for the answer as to what happened. They search and search until they find the
answer, and once they find it, they are able to forgive her. This death that
Miles endured was relatable to me as I’ve lost one of my greatest friends I’ve
had, I never appreciated what she actually did for me and how she influenced me
to be the person I am today until she was truly gone. After Alaska’s death,
Miles realized that she was not his Great Perhaps but that she was the one who catapulted
him into it, just as my friend had for me.
(Journal #1) My Favourite Quote
"We need never be hopeless, because
we can never be irreparably broken"(p.221)
No matter how torn up of broken we may feel, we can always be
repaired. This quote is significant to the novel because Alaska was very self
destructive and she would not look to others to help "repair" her.
Without working to build her back up again, she kept breaking until she became
too fragile to function. While she may have been falling apart she did not ever
break beyond repair. This quote is ironic because in the story it is mentioned
that “Everything that comes together falls apart”(p.197) but just because
something has fallen apart doesn't mean you can’t repair it. This is a very
helpful quote to live with because no matter how crushed or defeated things may
seem at the moment, there will always be someone to repair you. If you were to
take a piece of paper and shred it into a billion pieces, sure it might be
hard, but it is not impossible to fit the pieces back together and have it be a
paper again. But, although it may be
a paper again, but the paper will have many scars and cuts on it, meaning that
you must be extra cautious and careful that it does not fall apart again. As
long as know that we can never be irreparably broken, it will be more difficult
for up to break in the first place. We are all built to recover, and while we
may break we won’t burn.
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