Looking for Alaska

Encourage readers to connect the book’s themes and characters with their personal experiences.

1. What do you think of Miles’s commitment to seeking the “Great Perhaps” that the poet Rabelais mentions in his last words? Do you have a mantra or piece of wisdom that you look to for guidance in life? If so, how have these words helped you?

2. Why do you think that Alaska is unable to forgive herself? When you make a mistake, do you find it easy or difficult to forgive yourself? Consider sharing a story about a time when you received or granted forgiveness and explain how this experience affected you.

3. The protagonist spends much of the novel grappling with the question of what happens to people after they die, and he eventually concludes that death is not the end because energy cannot be destroyed. Do you believe that life continues in some form after death? What experiences have shaped your beliefs on this subject?

3. The Colonel’s friendship helps Miles to cope with Alaska’s death. Has a loyal friend ever helped you during a difficult time? Describe the experience and how it affected your relationship.

Examine the book’s relevance to societal issues, historical events, or cultural themes.

1. Alaska drives drunk and then dies in a car accident. What point does Green make about the effects of substance abuse and intoxicated driving?

2. The narrative implies that Alaska may have died by suicide. What insights can this story offer about how to help people with mental health conditions like depression?

3. The story explores Miles’s efforts to reckon with Alaska’s death. How might this novel resonate with people who are impacted by loss and grief, especially young people who have lost friends?

Dive into the book’s structure, characters, themes, and symbolism.

1. How does Gren use the motif of the labyrinth to develop the theme of guilt and forgiveness? How do Alaska, Miles, and the Colonel’s differing answers to the question, “How will I ever escape this labyrinth?” inform their characterization?

2. Although the novel focuses on Miles and Alaska, they are friends with several other characters at Culver Creek. Select two supporting characters from among their classmates and discuss the ways in which each character contributes to the theme of loyalty and friendship. 

3. Dr. Hyde’s World Religions class has a profound impact on the protagonist’s thinking. What specific beliefs does Miles encounter through this course? How do they advance both his characterization and the theme of religion and philosophy? 

4. How does the swan symbolize Alaska? What does this recurring symbol suggest about Alaska’s relationship with Miles?

5. Much of the novel takes place at the boarding school. How does the setting of Culver Creek shape the novel’s structure, characters, and overall meaning?