Adrian Jones Professor Gennari English 112 1 March 2016 Looking For Alaska Final Essay Peer pressure plays a major role in young adolescences lives, especially young high school students, in fact, research has shown that peer pressure has a much greater impact on adolescent behavior than any other factor. Young teenagers often give in to peer pressure because they want to fit in and feel accepted from their peers. They want to be liked and they worry that they may be left out or be teased if they don't go along with the group. Peer pressure can lead to experimentation with drugs and alcohol, sex, skipping school, and various high-risk behaviors (Aspen education). As an illustration of peer pressure, throughout his time at Culver Creek, Mile’s …show more content…
Miles along with the colonel and Alaska along with him new friend Takumi continue their journey of participating in several pranks, drinking and smoking throughout the school year. Miles grows a deeper love for Alaska over the course of the school year and feels that one day, they may have a chance of actually being together rather than just friends, but one night after a successful prank on the weekend warriors, the group decides to celebrate and gets extremely drunk and eventually, they all fall asleep. Suddenly, Alaska wakes up crying and says she has to leave which catches Miles off guard because he doesn’t know what is wrong with her. When she leaves, she gets into a car accident a dies on the way to her mother’s grave site. The next morning, the school has a meeting and tell the students what happened to Alaska leaving the entire school in shock. Miles felt that he was to blame for her death. Later he finds out that a labyrinth is a place that has many confusing paths or passages almost like the maze of life In a book Alaska had in her room and finds that she wrote “Straight and fast” as her way out of her labyrinth. He begins to think that his labyrinth is never getting to be in a relationship or seeing Alaska again. Miles and the colonel search for what may have happened that night and come to the conclusion she forgot that the same night they celebrated, was her mother’s death anniversary and forgot to put flowers on …show more content…
For example, your child might be influenced to become more assertive, try new activities, or to get more involved with school”. (Raising Children) In the end, I believe that the peer pressure that Miles received from his new friends at Culver Creek all had a positive effect on him. His new friends gave him opportunity to grow and experience new experiences that changed his life forever. It gave him the chance to experience the great perhaps he wished
The climax of the story is when Miles is shot by the Bonewoman. The reader comes to realize that Miles’ choice to live life on the safe side was a mistake:
Gormly, Kellie B. "Peer Pressure - for Students and Adults - Can Be Positive." TribLIVE.com. N.p., n.d. Web. 02 Dec. 2013.
Miles Halter is a new student at Culver Creek Preparatory School in Alabama. Once he get’s there he makes friends with his roommate the Colonel and his group of friends Takumi, Lara, and Alaska who all end up nicknaming him “Pudge”. They also introduce him to cigarettes, alcohol, and pulling pranks on the teachers and the weekday warriors. Even though Alaska has a boyfriend Miles falls for her and her mysterious, beautiful character. One night, Alaska, Miles, and the Colonel were all drinking and Alaska starts freaking out because she forgot about the anniversary of her mother's death which she would always go and visit her grave. She didn’t explain to Miles or the Colonel about why she needed to leave, but they helped her
“Peer Pressure: Its Influence on Teens and Decision Making.” 2008. Teacher Scholastic Journal. Retrieved 2008. (http://headsup.scholastic.com/articles/peer-pressure-its-influence-on-teens-and-decision-making).
After the death of Alaska, Miles throws up. He exists in a fog of grief. Miles agrees with the Colonel to find out if Alaska killed herself or not. They talk to the cop who was at the scene. They want to figure out how drunk she was. Alaska was very drunk and she was talking to her boyfriend Jake. Finally Miles and the Colonel give up. Miles apologizes to Lara and Takumi and he focuses himself on school.
There are many conflicts in this narrative but the first one I will be talking about is person vs self, Throughout the book Miles is trying to discover himself and who he really is, looking for The Great Perhaps. In the before section of the book, he is Miles. He is friendless and unhappy until Culver Creek where he becomes Pudge. Then he works harder and harder to discover who this new found Pudge is. During the after section when Alaska dies, he realizes the who and what Pudge is. He discovers the Great Perhaps and moves onward into his new life. So through the whole book he isn't just looking for The Great Perhaps, he is looking for his self identity. And Alaska's death helps him to discover
...comes obsessed with and starts seeing his ghost. Finally, at the end of the novel she begins to look to Miles for a sense of belonging. It may even seem as if she wants to find love so badly that she smothers him to the point of death and kills him. He also may have died because she frightened him to death. In the last few scenes, the governess seems to frighten the boy so badly, they he starts sweating and breathing hard and she even starts to shake him. She longs for love so terribly that she believes Miles is Peter Quint. Finally, the governess has a "victory" at the end of the novel and she finally is able to control and manage everything she wanted to know before. The governess and her unreliable narrator poses far too many questions for answers but all the clues point to her infatuation being so strong in Bly, that she needs to have a feeling of belonging.
... instead of following the majority. The issue of peer pressure can relate to teens, as they are in constant pressure to be ‘cool’ or to be in the ‘in’ group. It does not really promote individualism, so people cannot develop their own ideas but rather follow the leader of their group.
Alaska’s death devastates Miles and he states, “At some point you just pull off the band-aid and it hurts but then it is over and you are just relieved” (Green 224). Leaving him confused and hurt, he comes to the realization that her death displays the point of discovery for himself and is the understanding of where he fits into this world. The Great Perhaps is an opportunity that provides him with the ultimate hope for a better, more exciting life, and he realizes this hope after Alaska
That night all the friends go to celebrate at their hideout, Alaska shares with them how she watched her mother die when she was very young and how her dad blamed her because she didn’t do anything. A few nights later Alaska and Pudge make out even though she has a boyfriend, and then she says that she’s tired but she promises “to be continued?” In the middle of the night Alaska starts freaking out and crying, she leaves campus in her car and Miles and the Colonel set off fireworks as a distraction while
Peer pressure is the influence from members of one’s peer group. Peer pressure affect many school aged children, and teenager, because of the desire to want to fit in. Affects of giving into peer pressure can lead to taking drugs, drinking alcohol, and having sex. By researching
When peer pressure is exerted on one, one often gives in to that pressure as one desires to confirm their status, and often give in to peer pressure perceiving the morals, ideals, behavior or even just materials that are suggested to them as being linked to their status.
Ianrpubs.unl.edu (2013). Publication: Friendships, Peer Influence and Peer Pressure During the Teen Years. [online] Retrieved from: http://ianrpubs.unl.edu/pages/publicationD.jsp?publicationId=837 [Accessed: 10 Nov 2013].
Teenagers become caught up with following peers, because the decision is made to become involved in experimental activities by choice. On the other hand, peer pressure in teens can allow mature growth in the student, because the individual can them become a leader within an environment in a positive manner. According to kidshealth.org, “Getting to know lots of different people-
When you are a teenager and you have friends that ask you to do something for them and you do not then they get mad. Then think you are a loser and that is ever person's nightmare, to not be liked. Peer pressure is no piece of cake. It is like choosing the wrong thing for what you think is right at that very moment, and then regretting it afterwards, because your parents find out. But most would not care about what they do wrong or right. Unless there is a chance of parental disappointment, and a lot of the time that is the case.