Day 5

Looking for Alaska Lesson Plan

Discussion of Thought Questions

  1. 1

    In his final class, the Old Man mentions religious "founder figures." Can Alaska be seen as a "founder figure" in the context of the novel?

    Alaska's charismatic presence in life attracted fervent followers, who were magnetized and inspired by her worldview. In death, Alaska becomes something of a martyr figure, inspiring her friends to question how they've lived, and whether or not their lives are meaningful. Her death elevates her to fully-ideal status, and becomes the ultimate focus of the book's last third.

  2. 2

    Why didn’t Takumi tell Pudge and the Colonel that he knew where Alaska was going the night she died?

    Takumi (rightly) felt abandoned and excluded...

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