"She loved mysteries so much, that she became one." | The first words Pudge utters about Alaska Young is about her flourishing beauty. And yet, many times throughout the novel, when Pudge looks at Alaska, it is from an obscure and incomplete perspective, physically and symbolically. The first time Pudge and Alaska have a real conversation, they're sitting out on a bench by the lake, as night fast approaches. Darkness obscures Alaska's face, so Pudge can't quite see her too well, and this is a trend that continues, in slightly different variations, from this first meeting throughout the novel. There is more emphasis on the effect Alaska had on people, rather than her actual physical appearance. The most emphasis is given to Alaska's effect on Pudge, who never sees Alaska as a whole picture in reality and in persona, since he never gives an effort to understand Alaska's depression or pain; he only really loves her when she was a laughing, flirtatious girl, as his friend, the Colonel notes. Because Pudge sees Alaska so meagerly, he also romanticized her a lot in his mind, which furthers the unseen distance between the two. And, this is why I argue that this is not a romance novel, but a novel that contemplates the worth of life, life's choices and life's memories. Pudge never really loved Alaska, though he was greatly infatuated. He does learn, however, the importance of valuing the people who love him, which is an honorable moral, though he wasn't always honorable. But then again, who can always be honorable? |
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Thomas Edison's last words were "it's very beautiful over there." I don't know where there is, but I believe it's somewhere, and I hope it's beautiful.
What do graceful swans and mysterious Alaska Young have to do with each other? A lot, actually! The first connection starts off with the dean of the boarding school, known infamously as the Eagle, who uses the swan and Alaska to maintain order on school grounds. There is a single, solitary swan who lives out on the lake by the school, and it is quite a vicious creature. The Eagle benefits from the swan acting as a guard on the lake, preventing students to come into or near the lake, thus maintaining order and safety. As for Alaska Young, she "rats out" her room mate for illegal behaviour, and thus preserves the school rules, which is in the Eagle's interests.
Another connection is about Miles "Pudge" Halter's and his relationships with the swan and Alaska. Both have hurt Pudge, but in different ways. The swan is more physical with it's torture of Pudge, and just bites him on his gluteus maximus, causing him severe pain. Alaska hits Pudge from multiple perspectives and with a longer lasting impact. The first hit was existing, to be completely honest! For Pudge, she was an unattainable beauty, never destined to be his, though he did try and he did nearly succeed. He fails when Alaska crashes Pudge to an oblivion again, with her tragic death. Pudge believed he was truly in love at that point, so her death was an unbearable heartbreak for him. Yet another link is both the swan's and Alaska's tragic past. The swan had suffered abuse at a young age, and now reacts violently to any humans who come near it. Alaska's deplorable antiquity followed her into her present, what with her homelessness and near-orphan-status. Alaska also suffers from depression (see the illustration below of one of her quotes) and the swan seems to suffer from an animalistic form of PTSD, post traumatic stress disorder. The final relation is a fairly broad one. Swans are typically seen as majestic, beautiful and passive creatures who dwell on the foundations of love, peace, and purity. On the surface, Alaska is just the same, especially as Pudge initially perceives. Once Pudge gets to know Alaska better, he realizes her moodiness and her perpetually and increasingly complex persona. Pudge truly loved Alaska's exterior allure and humor, as humans love the swans' beauty and symbolism. In reality, both are much more complicated and convoluted than most perceive.
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