Looking for Alaska

One of Alaska’s favorite books is The General in His Labyrinth by Gabriel Garcia Marquez, and the metaphor of the labyrinth is something to which Alaska and Miles devote considerable thought. How do they define this labyrinth throughout the novel? And is there a way out?

For their final World Religions exam, students are asked, “What is the most important question human beings must answer?” Imagine you are one of the students: What question would you select? And how would you explain your choice?

To what degree do we get to know Alaska during this novel? Do we see the real her or is our impression of her shaped by the narrator’s perspective? To what degree does he really know her?

While Miles likes reading biographies of writers (and other notable figures), he is not interested in reading their literary works. Alaska, meanwhile, is a lover of poetry. Are there any inferences that we can draw about these two characters based on this contrast?

Alaska states that the worst day of her life was when she witnessed her mother suffer an aneurysm but failed to call 911. How does this factor into Alaska’s comments and behavior throughout the novel? Does knowledge of this tragedy provide us, and the characters, with greater insight into her outlook and some of the remarks that she makes?

As part of the “subverting the patriarchal paradigm” prank, the fake Professor of Psychology (in reality, a male stripper) states that boys are much more likely to objectify girls’ bodies than vice versa, and that girls tend to see boys as whole people. Though this is part of a prank, do you believe there is any truth to such an argument?

What impact does Alaska’s death have on the other characters and their interactions with one another?

Ultimately, Miles and the Colonel cannot say for certain whether Alaska took her own life or establish her motivations. What are your views on this topic? What do you believe Alaska’s mindset might have been on the night on her death?