Summer Reading Assignment: Entry Three

Sure, the novel Looking for Alaska by John Green contains a whole slew of emotion, but when looking for any part of the book that is "gripping," it shouldn't necessarily mean leaving you at the edge of your seat, much rather giving you a significant interest in the novel, making you want to read more. When Alaska dies, the moment is described, but not creatively. In fact, there wasn't even a narration as it happened. The news was revealed by the Eagle, after the accident occurred. It was described as more of a headline than anything else. If the story of Alaska's death was told as it happened, now that would have left the reader at the edge of their seat.

So in this novel, what makes a certain segment "gripping" is having some kind of meaning or philosophy behind it that will make you want to dig deeper to find its meaning, and by "dig deeper," I mean continue reading.

"I have here Alaska's final. You'll recall that you were asked what the most important question facing people is, and how the three traditions we're studying this year address that question. This was Alaska's question." (written on the chalkboard) "How will we ever get out of this labyrinth of suffering?-A.Y." (Green, 58)

Spoiler Alert; the meaning of this quote is revealed before this quote was even said. Alaska had stated this quote from Simon Bolivar before she made it the topic of her final. She told Pudge the meaning of "suffering" specifically. "It's not life or death, the labyrinth. Suffering. Doing wrong and having wrong things happen to you. That's the problem." (Green, 84). She also describes the things you feel in the labyrinth. "You spend your whole life stuck in the labyrinth. Thinking about how you'll escape it one day, and how awesome it would be, and imagining that future keeps you going, but you never do it. You just use the future to escape the present." (Green, 54) Now, thinking of the future may be the coping mechanism, but the way to escape this labyrinth is also mentioned. However, just because it is mentioned doesn't mean I will.

So to summarize, the way to get hooked to Looking for Alaska is to think rather than to listen, and a main theme, that theme being the "labyrinth," is quite involved in that thought process. Your brain is the detective, rather than the television. You are Columbo, you're not just watching it.  That's how you get hooked.