Angstiness Profile: Alaska Young

Thanks to the overwhelming popularity of the last angstiness profile, I have decided to do a much-delayed post on the mentally unstable Alaska Young. Although we have finished the book and Alaska is long gone, she is still the most intriguing character in the entire story. Did she kill herself? Was it an accident? If she did kill herself, what exactly made her want to? These are only a few of the questions that remain unanswered, but for the purposes of this post, here's what we do know about her: Her mother died when she was a little girl. She was too young to know how to save her, but she still felt guilty about it as she grew older. She is a heavy smoker, and takes it upon herself to introduce Pudge to the things he had missed during his protected childhood. She is intelligent, funny, dark, twisted, and unpredictable to say the least. But is she angsty? I believe so.

Angstiness Rating (1-5): 4, maybe even a 5

Teens and Drinking

It's no secret that teens have been increasingly more exposed to drinking over the past decade or so. Commercials are probably the biggest source of the increased exposure. Beer commercials in particular portray the supposed benefits of alcohol, which include meeting beautiful women on sunny Caribbean beaches. These commercials give teens the wrong ideas about drinking and may eventually set an addiction into motion. No one doubts the fact that drinking is unhealthy, yet many teens still choose to drink, thanks to peer pressure and the sunny Caribbean beaches.

Into the Future

Teens often have a different idea of what they want to become than what their parents want them to become. Parents always want their children to be rich and successful, but the ways they assist their child varies from parent to parent. A lot of parents, at least in "Crazy Town" (nickname for Arlington, credited to Dave Soles) are convinced that every teen needs to take at least six AP courses, work five part-time jobs, and go on mission trips to Indonesia in order to be successful, when that is not the case. Doing all of those things may help you get into a good college, but getting into a good college doesn't mean you'll be successful. Conversely, going to a so-called average college doesn't mean you will spend the rest of your life in a trailer park. Granted, there are plenty of outstanding students that think this way, but they may only think this way because it is how their parents have taught them to think.

In summary, getting into a good college doesn't guarantee success. Although it certainly helps, it puts a lot of undue pressure on teens that still have a chance to be successful without getting into an elite college.

Too Much Pressure

Teenagers are constantly surrounded by pressure- pressure from parents, pressure from peers, pressure from teachers. This pressure can be either positive or negative, depending on the teen. A special few use the pressure as motivation and work even harder. However, most teens react poorly to this pressure, and start thinking "I have to study for 37 straight hours if I want to pass this test" instead of "I just have to study until I feel like I understand the material." One of the keys to being successful in high school is ignoring the pressure and just doing the best you can, something a lot of teens forget about.

Angstiness Profile: Pudge Halter

How angsty is Miles "Pudge" Halter? Well, not very. A loner before coming to Culver Creek, he has a knack for knowing peoples' last words although his talent doesn't really make him angsty. The fact that "Looking for Alaska" is told through Pudge, who is a fairly uninteresting character, makes his fellow classmates look even more angsty. (Alaska, the Colonel, etc." Pudge comes to Culver Creek searching for adventure, which he was deprived of at home with his parents, and his protected childhood does not translate well into future teen angst.

Angstiness Rating (1-5): 1

Thoughts on the Colonel

The Colonel seemed like a jerk when we were first introduced to him at the beginning of the novel, if for no other reason than because he gave himself an unusual nickname. However, as the story progresses we get to know him better. His relationship with his girlfriend shows that he is not worried about the way people may judge him based on his actions. At the basketball game, the Colonel is confirmed to be certifiably insane thanks to his impressive streak of getting kicked out of games. The Colonel is an interesting contrast to the generally mild-mannered Pudge, which makes him all the more entertaining to read about.