"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? |