Looking For Alaska Symbolism Essay

Looking for Alaska is a novel written by John Green. The novel was written in 2005 and since then has won many awards such as the Michael L. Printz Award for Excellence in Young Adult Literature. This novel is found relatable by many teenagers and it also contains many literary symbols. Some of those symbols include: the lake, last words, and white flowers. One of the various symbols that occurred regularly was the smoking hole.
The smoking hole is a place where Pudge, Alaska, The Colonel, and Takumi all feel comfortable smoking and hanging out at. The smoking hole symbolizes rebellion, freedom, and the connection between the characters. It represents rebellion because they are smoking there and they are not supposed to be smoking at all. The

smoking hole represents the connection between the characters because it was where they could talk about anything and be themselves. It also represents the connection between the characters because it became a place where they could vent to each other and blow off steam to each other.
The smoking hole first appears after Alaska and Pudge are kicked of Dr.

Hyde’s classroom. When class was over Takumi, Pudge, and The Colonel all started following Alaska in silence. The group then came to a dirt path when The Colonel ran to catch up to Alaska and they started arguing. Pudge finally asked Takumi where they were headed, Takumi answered, “This road dead-ends into the barn, so maybe there. But probably the old smoking hole. You’ll see.” They then got to the smoking hole which was nothing more than chairs placed on a slab of concrete under a bridge. It was secluded and was a place where they could escape the pressures of daily life on campus. Pudge, The Colonel, and Alaska all smoked and thus the smoking hole was born again.
At one point, the smoking hole represents self-preservation. Takumi convinced Pudge he needed a cigarette after finding out that Alaska’s room had been flooded on purpose. Pudge and Takumi started walking towards the smoking hole and then when they reached the dirt road Takumi said, “Not sure if the Hole is safe.” He then explained that the Eagle could know about it. Takumi then revealed that he figured out that Alaska had ratted Paul and Marya out in order to take the blame off her and remain on the Eagle’s good

side.
The smoking hole brought Alaska and Pudge together the most. Alaska convinced Pudge to stay on campus with her for Thanksgiving break. Pudge did not listen to Takumi’s warning, when it was just him and Alaska on campus, he returned to the Hole to find her sitting in one of the chairs. She ignored him at first but, then she could tell that something was wrong with him so she wrapped her arms around him and hugged him. They then talked about Pudge’s parents leaving and why that was bothering him. This is an example of the smoking hole enforcing the connection between the characters.
While Pudge and Alaska were on campus by themselves they decided to snoop around some rooms that belonged to the Weekday Warriors. While snooping around they found various items of paraphernalia such as alcohol, chewing tobacco, and pornography. The pair then starting plotting revenge against some of the Weekday Warriors since they had flooded Alaska’s room. Alaska with revenge on her mind and Pudge following along shimmied out of the window and down to the smoking hole to talk about their revenge. The smoking hole represents the connection between the friends here because they felt safe and could talk about anything there.
The smoking hole is present in the beginning of the novel but the full meaning is never really grasped until Alaska passes away. While The Colonel and Pudge are trying to figure out why she killed herself, they look back and the smoking hole ends up helping find a piece of the puzzle. When The Colonel and Pudge are talking to the officer, the officer reveals that Alaska had white tulips in her backseat. When the officer said this, it sparked a memory inside of The Colonel. He told Pudge, “One time last year, she and Takumi and I were at the Smoking Hole, and there was this little white daisy on the bank of the creek, and all of the sudden she just jumped waist-deep into the water and waded across and grabbed it. She put it behind her ear, and when I asked her about it, she told me that her parents always put white flowers in her hair when she was little. Maybe she wanted to die with white flowers.” The two would not come to realize how important white flowers were until a later time.
When all the friends, The Colonel, Pudge, Takumi, and Lara were all at peace with Alaska’s death, they went back to the smoking hole. Lara asked, “Hey Colonel, why do you call eet the Smoking Hole? Eet’s, like, a tunnel.” The Colonel then revealed that Alaska had named it the smoking hole because that is where they smoked at. Then he pulled a cigarette out of the pack and threw it into the creek. It was for Alaska. The other three then realized what he did and then followed in doing so. This is the final example of how the smoking hole connected the friends, even when one of them died they came back there to honor her.
With many symbols present the smoking hole was the most apparent and important. It represented the unbreakable bond between friends and rebellion. At the end of the novel, it hit the friends that they did not have to look for Alaska her presence would always be at the smoking hole.