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.
-Pudge
Pudge Halter is obsessed with many things, especially the last words that rest on the lips of ebbing politicians, fading explorers, abating movie stars, and even ordinary withering people. Why is this even important? Besides being a major force of cohesion of the actual plot, the symbolic resonances are endless. The first major purpose is one that initially links Pudge to Alaska on a truly intimate field. Alaska shares with Pudge the last words of a famous general, Simon Bolívar, who allegedly cried out, "How will I ever get out of this labyrinth?" As the plot progresses, Alaska and Pudge both attempt to decipher this and decide what Bolívar meant by the "labyrinth". Alaska has the answer before she does but she never gives it to Pudge, so by the time he finds out what the "labyrinth" symbolizes, he also finds out about himself and about Alaska. The labyrinth is the act of suffering, so Bolívar wasn't talking about death or life, but about pain. Pudge finds out that either fate or Alaska chose a speedy way out of the labyrinth. Pudge himself decides that the labyrinth is a trial worth enduring. When Alaska had died, Pudge thought it possible to find out Alaska's last words, but he goes off to find out if anyone was around at the time of her death, but no one knows. This severs Alaska's and Pudge's relationship and also declares Alaska's independence and unattainability. |