Unreliability of the characters Miles in “Looking for Alaska” by John Green and Valerie in “Hate List” by Jennifer Brown
Research Question: How have the authors, Jennifer Brown and John Green, created biased and unreliable protagonists in their novels “Looking for Alaska” and “Hate List”?
! ! ! Abstract!–! ! This!essay!analyses!the!hints!left!by!John!Green!in!Looking'for'Alaska!and!Jennifer! Brown!in!Hate'List!that!their!protagonists,!Miles!and!Valerie,!are!biased!and! unreliable!narrators.!It!examines!the!way!the!authors!create!relatable!characters! to!conceal!the!bias!of!the!narrations.!Both!protagonists!have!lost!a!close!person! through!suicide.!Both!protagonists!are!emotionally!connected!to!the!deceased! character.! ! One!of!the!most!obvious!ways!in!which!the!bias!and!the!unreliability!of!the! protagonists!are!hinted!at!is!through!the!splitting!of!the!novels!through!parts.! From!one!part!to!another,!the!change!of!perception!of!the!protagonists!towards! the!deceased!characters!becomes!apparent.!! ! Both!protagonists!want!to!keep!their!deceased!character!to!themselves!and! therefore!mould!their!memories!to!fit!their!wants.!Both!authors!leave!hints!in! their!novels,!however!through!creating!a!relatable!protagonists!these!hints!are! not!as!apparent!as!they!could!have!been.! ! All!theses!factors!bring!forth!the!following!research!question:!How!have!the! authors,!Jennifer!Brown!and!John!Green,!created!biased!and!unreliable! protagonists!in!their!novels!Looking'for'Alaska!and!Hate'List?!This!is!the!question! that!is!being!answered!with!this!essay.! ! ! ! Words:!205! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
! 2! Table of Contents: ! ! ! ! I.! Title!Page! 1! ! ! ! II.! Abstract! 2! ! ! ! III.!Table!of!Contents! 3! ! ! ! IV.!Introduction! 4! ! ! ! V.! Summary!of!Plot! 5! ! ! ! VI.!Illusions!! 7! ! ! ! ! VII.!Before!Death! 9! ! ! ! VIII.!!After!Death! 11! ! ! ! IX.! !Unreliability!and!Bias! 13! ! ! ! X.! Closure! 15! ! ! ! XI.!Conclusion! 16! ! ! ! XII.!!Acknowledgements! 18! ! ! ! XIII.!!Bibliography!&!Works!Consulted! 19! ! ! ! ! ! ! !
! 3! Introduction!–! The!research!question,!the!basis!of!this!Extended!Essay,!is!“How!have!the! authors,!Jennifer!Brown!and!John!Green,!created!biased!and!unreliable! protagonists!in!their!novels!“Looking!for!Alaska”!and!“Hate!List”?”!This!question! will!be!analysed!in!thorough!detail!during!the!Extended!Essay.!
One!character!dealing!with!the!death!of!a!character!that!they!were!close! to!is!a!storyline!many!novelists!pursue.!John!Green’s!Looking'for'Alaska'and!
Jennifer!Brown’s!Hate'List!are!classified!as!young!adult!novels!that!both!follow! this!popular!storyline!as!well.!The!protagonists,!John!Green’s!Miles!and!Jennifer!
Brown’s!Valerie,!are!distanced!from!society!and!suffer!tragic!throwbacks!in!their! lives!due!to!the!loss!of!their!dear!friends.!Miles!loses!his!friend,!a!young!girl! named!Alaska,!who!he!is!madly!in!love!with,!and!Valerie!loses!her!boyfriend.!
Both!characters!die!through!suicide.!The!leftover!protagonists!have!to!deal!with! memories,!which!shape!their!new!lives!without!their!friends.!However,!they! shape!these!memories!so!that!they!suit!their!image!of!the!deceased!character.!
The!affection!they!have!towards!the!deceased!character!makes!then!unreliable! narrators.!!
Both!novels!handle!the!issue!of!suicide.!The!concern!of!suicide!is!often! considered!a!taboo.!It!is!an!emotional!subject,!and!it!is!often,!unfortunately,! tossed!aside!as!a!topic!with!little!importance.!Suicide,!discussed!too!little!in! school!and!other!learning!facilities,!is!what!drew!me!to!these!novels.!How!open! the!characters!handle!this!issue,!and!how!in!public!it!has!to!be!masked.!The!use! of!teenaged!main!characters!makes!it!easy!to!relate!to!the!protagonists,!though! the!circumstances!may!be!very!foreign.!This!is!why!I!have!decided!to!use!these! two!novels!as!the!basis!of!my!Extended!Essay.!!
! 4! Although!the!storyline!of!leftover!characters!has!been!transformed!into!a! novel!many!times,!these!two!authors!play!with!the!reader’s!perception!of!their! characters.!Only!after!numerous!readings!is!it!clear!how!flawed!and!biased!these! characters!are!as!narrators.!Therefore,!this!Extended!Essay!will!analyse!the!main! characters!of!the!novels,!Miles!and!Valerie!in!Looking'for'Alaska!and!Hate'List,! respectively.!The!authors!have!created!characters!who!are!unreliable!and!biased! because!their!perception!is!coloured!by!the!proximity!of!the!event!and!by!their! relationship!towards!the!dead!character.!It!will!be!demonstrated!that!both!John!
Green!and!Jennifer!Brown!leave!many!hints!for!the!reader!throughout!their! novels.!Examples!would!be!how!Miles!changes!Alaska!from!an!annoying! emotional!wreck!into!an!idol!and!how!Valerie!holds!onto!her!memory!of!her! boyfriend!rather!than!accepting!that!he!was!a!murderer.!
!
Summary!of!Plots!–!
!
Looking'For'Alaska'
Miles!Halter,!a!sixteenbyearbold!boy!from!Florida,!goes!to!boarding!school! at!“Culver!Creek!Preparatory!School”!1!in!Alabama.!He!is!a!new!student,!and!it!is! his!first!semester!abroad!from!home,!in!search!for!the!Great!Perhaps2.!His!love! for!famous!people’s!last!words!has!always!made!him!an!outcast.!This!changes! when!he!meets!Alaska!Young!and!her!friends.!She!sucks!him!into!her!world!of! pranks,!secrets!and!selfbdestruction.!At!first,!Miles!is!attracted!to!Alaska’s!body.!
However,!after!her!suicide!one!late!night,!she!becomes!something!beyond!death.!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 1!Page!6,!Looking'For'Alaska.!Green,!John.!Penguin!Group.!Print! 2!François!Rabelais’!last!words!
! 5! He!idolises!her.!He!spends!the!rest!of!the!year!trying!to!deny!her!death,!wanting! to!have!her!for!himself.!Miles!reconstructs!the!story!from!a!future!point!in!time;! many!of!his!memories!have!been!tweaked!to!fit!his!renewed!idolised!image!of!
Alaska.!The!story!is!told!in!past!tense,!showing!that!a!distance!has!been!created! between!the!date!of!telling!this!story!and!the!date!the!story!actually!occurred.!!
!
Hate'List'
Valerie!Leftman!has!always!lived!as!a!recluse.!Her!clothes!aren’t!what!her! classmates!accept,!she!listens!to!strange!music,!and!she!loves!the!colour!black3.!
Her!only!friends!are!outcasts!as!well.!Her!life!is!uneventful,!until!she!meets!Nick!
Levil,!a!boy!with!the!same!interests!as!her.!She!falls!in!love!with!him,!and!soon! after!they’re!in!a!relationship.!Valerie!and!Nick!start!a!list!of!all!the!people!that! torment!them;!all!the!people!that!make!their!life!hell,!all!the!people!they!hate.!
One!of!these!people!is!Christy!Bruter,!a!girl!that!Valerie!knew!since!Kindergarten!
“After!all!these!years!she!still!hadn’t!tired!of!the!same!old!stupid!jokes.!Still! hadn’t!grown!out!of!them.”4!All!the!“bullying,!the!teasing!the!namebcalling…”5! hurt!them.!They!call!this!the!Hate!List.!This!is!the!list!Nick!uses!to!choose!his! targets!during!the!school!shooting!he!initiates!five!months!before!the!story! begins.!Valerie!throws!herself!in!front!of!a!target,!taking!a!shot!in!the!leg.!She! awakes!days!later!in!the!hospital,!unable!to!remember!anything.!She!is! investigated!as!a!suspect!but!also!a!witness.!Worse!for!her!is!however,!that!Nick! has!killed!himself.!She!is!left(man)!to!face!a!hard!semester!of!inquiries,! psychologists!and!doubtful!looks!alone.!The!narration!is!not!done!in! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 3!Page!31!Hate'List.!Brown,!Jennifer.!Little,!Brown.!Print! 4!Page!59!Hate'List.!Brown,!Jennifer.!Little,!Brown.!Print! 5!Page!388!Hate'List.!Brown,!Jennifer.!Little,!Brown.!Print!
! 6! chronological!order.!The!reader!is!constantly!unsure!of!the!time!frame.!There!are! snippets!of!newspapers!to!show!how!the!public!learned!about!what!happened!at! the!shooting,!showing!another!point!of!view!of!the!story.!!
!
Illusions!–!
In!both!novels!the!protagonists,!John!Green’s!Miles!and!Jennifer!Brown’s!
Valerie,!create!false!illusions!of!their!deceased!friend!in!order!to!make!their! deaths!more!bearable!and!explainable.!In!Hate'List,!Valerie!refuses!to!picture!her! boyfriend!as!a!murderer:!“(…)!I!looked!in!Nick’s!eyes!…!I!knew!what!I!saw!and!it! was!good!(…)!So!sometimes!it!makes!sense!to!me!that!maybe!it!was!Jeremy6!who! put!those!ideas!about!shooting!up!the!school!in!Nick’s!head.!Not!me.!Jeremy.!He’s! the!bad!guy.”7!Because!both!deaths!are!suicides,!the!social!pressure!is!enormous,! because!they!are!left!to!explain.!They!are!left!to!explain!the!why!and!how!the! suicide!occurred!but!also!the!how!and!why!of!their!relationship!towards!the! dead!person.!They!must!live!with!being!blamed!and!blaming!themselves.!They! clamber!onto!this!truth!for!as!long!as!possible,!almost!stubbornly!blocking!out! anyone!else’s!attempts!to!say!differently.!
!
Miles,!also!referred!to!as!Pudge,!is!retelling!the!story!from!a!future!point! in!time.!He!splits!his!retellings!into!two!sections:!‘Before!Alaska’s!Death’8,!and!
‘After!Alaska’s!Death’9.!Separating!the!novel!into!two!parts!is!a!hint!to!the!reader! that!for!Miles,!time!has!stopped!when!Alaska!died.!He!splits!happenings!into!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 6!Nick’s!mysterious!friend!! 7!Page!27!Hate'List.!Brown,!Jennifer.!Little,!Brown.!Print! 8!Page!1,!Looking'For'Alaska.!Green,!John.!Penguin!Group.!Print.! 9!Page!135,!Looking'For'Alaska.!Green,!John.!Penguin!Group.!Print.!
! 7! before!Alaska’s!death!and!after!Alaska’s!death.!For!him,!there!are!only!these!two! time!intervals.!Miles!obsessive!love!towards!Alaska,!a!girl!he!could!never!be!with,! becomes!most!apparent!after!her!death.!However,!her!other!friends!are!telling! him!what!kind!of!person!Alaska!really!was:!about!her!alcohol!abuse,!“The!way! she!would!get!sulky!and!make!references!to!the!freaking!oppressive!weight!of! tragedy!or!whatever!but!then!never!said!what!was!wrong,!never!had!a!godamned! reason!to!be!sad.”10,!and!her!joy!in!belittling!others.!Miles!has!erected!an! exaggerate!view!of!Alaska.!!“She!was!dead.!She!was!warm!and!soft!against!my! skin!(…)!she!was!laughing,!trying!to!teach!me,!make!me!better,!promising!to!be! continued.”11!He!even!forgets!that!Alaska!was!in!a!relationship!and!that!she!had! more!friends!than!just!him.!“(…)!she!promised!to!be!continued,!but!I!knew,!too,! that!she!was!driving!north!when!she!died,!north!toward!Nashville,!toward!Jake.12!
(…)!it!had!mattered!to!her,!and!I!can!only!tell!myself!that!of!course,!yes,!she!had! promised.”13!He!narrows!Alaska’s!‘love’!to!himself,!and!does!not!want!to!accept! that!others!may!have!felt!similarly!about!her.!For!Miles,!her!focus!of!love!was!and! still!is!towards!him.'
Valerie’s!narration!jumps!between!several!points!in!time.!The!novel!is! split!into!three!parts.!Part!One14!is!a!mixture!of!memories!of!the!relationship! with!Nick,!snippets!from!Newspapers!about!the!victims,!and!Valerie’s!own! interpretation!of!the!school!shooting.!Part!Two15!is!Valerie’s!own!life!after! returning!to!her!old!high!school.!How!she!struggles!to!fit!in!and!how!her!constant!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 10!Page!149,!Looking'For'Alaska.!Green,!John.!Penguin!Group.!Print.! 11!Page!144,!Looking'For'Alaska.!Green,!John.!Penguin!Group.!Print.! 12!Alaska’s!Boyfriend! 13!Page!146,!Looking'For'Alaska.!Green,!John.!Penguin!Group.!Print.! 14!Page!115!Hate'List.!Brown,!Jennifer.!Little,!Brown.!Print! 15!Page!209!Hate'List.!Brown,!Jennifer.!Little,!Brown.!Print!
! 8! memories!of!Nick!make!her!miss!him.!The!thing!she!hates!him!most!for!is!leaving! her.!She!thinks!that!Nick!has!abandoned!her,!and!she!is!having!a!very!tough!time! seeing!any!bad!in!her!boyfriend.!Part!Three!is!Valerie’s!attempts!to!come!to!grips! with!herself.!However,!instead!of!forgiving!herself!for!loving!a!murderer!she!has! to!finally!accept!that!Nick!was!a!misunderstood!person.!She!has!made!Nick!her! idol,!sometimes!even!turning!to!his!picture!to!know!if!she!should!go!on!or!give! up.!“I!touched!the!laughing!still!shot!of!Nick’s!face!with!my!finger.!I!could!still! hear!his!voice!loud!and!clear.!Still!hear!him!asking!me!out!in!his!serious!Nick! way,!at!once!bold!and!angry!and!romantic!and!shy”16'
!
Before!Death!–!
Both!novels!Looking'for'Alaska!and!Hate'List!portray!what!daily!life!was! like!with!the!living!character!and!what!it!has!become!after!the!character!death.!
The!reader!can!witness!a!change!in!the!protagonists!after!the!suicides!because! the!novels!are!not!written!in!a!chronological!order.!Both!John!Green!and!Jennifer!
Brown!allow!the!reader!to!see!the!relationship!both!before!and!after!the!death.!
However,!the!relationship!is!always!viewed!out!of!the!protagonist’s!point!of! view.!While!the!protagonist!may!create!his/her!own!truth!around!the! relationship,!the!reader!is!given!the!chance!to!look!at!the!relationship!how!it! really!was.!Valerie!was!in!an!unstable!relationship.!She!feels!left!out!as!soon!as!a! third!person!joins!the!couple.!Miles!however!had!to!share!Alaska!before!her! death.!She!was!popular,!had!many!friends!and!even!a!boyfriend,!meaning!he! couldn’t!control!her.!!
! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 16!Page!19!Hate'List.!Brown,!Jennifer.!Little,!Brown.!Print!
! 9! Before!her!death,!Alaska!is!only!an!object!of!sexual!attraction!for!Miles.!
John!Green!has!given!the!reader!an!easy!example!of!Miles’!biasedness;!before!her! death,!Alaska!is!sexually!attractive.!Miles!wants!to!kiss!her!and!run!his!hands! down!her!slim!waist.!“(…)!the!hottest!girl!in!all!of!human!history!was!standing! before!me!(…)!the!petite!(but!God,!curvy)!girl.”17!He!is!in!love!with!the!idea!of! having!her,!of!being!able!to!call!her,!his.!Even!when!Alaska!does!repulsive!things,! such!as!vomiting!in!front!of!the!whole!group!due!too!an!overdose!of!alcohol18,!it! is!merely!mentioned!in!a!quick!sentence,!and!then!equalised!with!a!long! paragraph!about!her!beautiful!full!chest!in!the!sunlight.!Miles!even!refers!to!
Alaska!as!annoying!and!difficult!to!handle.!Besides!his!longing!for!her!body,!Miles! is!appalled!by!Alaska’s!personality!and!the!ways!she!thinks.!“’Don’t!you!know! who!you!love,!Pudge?!You!love!the!girl!who!makes!you!laugh!and!shows!you! porn!and!drinks!wine!with!you.!You!don’t!love!the!crazy,!sullen!bitch.’!And!there! was!something!to!that,!truth!be!told.”19!'
The!reader!only!gets!to!participate!in!Nick’s!and!Valerie’s!talks!in!Part!
One.!In!this!part!of!the!novel,!she!is!dwelling!in!memories!and!recalling!old! moments!with!him.!She!remembers!their!conversations.!Before!Nick’s!death,!
Valerie!lived!in!constant!fear!that!Nick!wanted!to!breakbup!with!her.!“I!was!afraid! he!was!going!to!break!up!with!me,!so!I!just!played!along!like!it!was!no!big!deal!we! hardly!ever!saw!each!other!anymore.”20!All!of!his!ideas!became!her!ideas,! whether!she!wanted!them!to!or!not.!It!becomes!clear!to!the!reader!that!Valerie! was!too!blind!with!fear,!and!perhaps!even!love,!to!have!any!idea!about!Nick’s!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 17!Page!15,!Looking'For'Alaska.!Green,!John.!Penguin!Group.!Print.! 18!Page!121,!Looking'For'Alaska.!Green,!John.!Penguin!Group.!Print.! 19!Page!96,!Looking'For'Alaska.!Green,!John.!Penguin!Group.!Print.! 20!Page!26!Hate'List.!Brown,!Jennifer.!Little,!Brown.!Print!
! 10! murderous!plans.!Nick!often!spoke!of!death,!and!he!asked!Valerie!several! questions!about!how!she!wishes!to!leave!the!world,!however!Valerie!took!all! these!questions!as!mere!interest.!“’So!what!do!you!think!you!could!do!it?’!‘Do! what?’!‘Shoot!all!those!people.’!(…)!‘But!I!could!do!it.!I!could!totally!blow!those! people!up.!It!just!wouldn’t!be!a!surprise!to!anyone.’!We!both!laughed.”21!Valerie! became!submissive!to!Nick,!keeping!her!own!needs!back!in!order!to!please!him,! to!ensure!that!he!would!stay!with!her!for!a!long!time.!!
!
After!Death!–!
After!the!death!of!the!loved!person,!the!world!of!the!protagonists! collapses!in!on!itself.!The!protagonists!have!to!rebuild!their!lives!with!the! knowledge!that!their!boyfriend,!or!in!Miles’!case!his!crush,!has!killed! himself/herself.!Valerie!becomes!more!outgoing:!she!is!involved!in!school! activities!and!comes!out!of!her!room!other!than!just!for!dinner!time!and!leaving! the!house.!She!has!become!more!of!a!full!person,!being!able!to!stand!on!her!own! two!feet.!Miles,!however,!becomes!more!of!a!recluse.!He!refuses!to!go!to!classes! and!does!not!want!to!spend!time!with!his!friends!anymore.!His!obsession!and! depression!about!Alaska’s!death!frustrates!them:!“You!know!what,!Pudge?!I!feel! bad!for!you.!I!do.!(…)!But!honestly,!shut!up!(…)!So!just!stop!worrying!about!your! godamned!self!for!one!minute!and!think!about!your!dead!friend.”22!He!is!living!in! the!past.!As!the!loss!of!this!close!character!becomes!apparent!to!both! protagonists,!their!perception!of!the!character!becomes!different.!This!is!a! popular!way!of!treating!the!dead.!Very!often!it!is!seen!as!ungrateful!and!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 21!Page!100!Hate'List.!Brown,!Jennifer.!Little,!Brown.!Print! 22!Page!161,!Looking'For'Alaska.!Green,!John.!Penguin!Group.!Print.!
! 11! disrespectful!to!speak!bad!of!them.!Therefore,!both!protagonists!get!absorbed! into!their!own!world!of!new!truths!that!they!have!created!around!their!dead! companion.!
In!the!case!of!Alaska,!Miles!only!speaks!well!of!her!and!his!sexual! attraction!has!turned!into!love!for!the!person!he!wanted!her!to!be.!He!creates!a! goddess!like!figure!out!of!his!friend,!shutting!out!any!comments!that!may!prove! him!and!his!thoughts!of!her!wrong.!!To!him,!he!is!the!only!one!who!ever!loved!
Alaska,!and!the!only!one!who!had!a!right!to!love!her,!although!she!had!a! boyfriend,!a!large!group!of!friends,!and!a!caring!father.!“(…)!I!felt!the!unfairness! of!it,!the!inarguable!injustice!of!loving!someone!who!might!have!loved!you!back! but!can’t!due!to!deadness!(…)”.23!He!is!convinced!that!his!New!Alaska!was!the! real!one,!and!for!him!his!reconstructed,!renewed!memories!are!the!real!her.!He! thinks!he!is!the!only!one!who!knew!the!real!Alaska,!though!in!reality!he!really!did! not!know!her!that!well,!because!he!spent!most!of!their!time!together!marvelling! over!her!luscious!body.!He!also!does!not!want!to!accept!that!her!death!was!most! probably!a!suicide.!To!him,!his!Alaska!would!never!be!selfish!enough!to!leave!him! behind.!
In!Valerie’s!case,!Nick’s!suicide!is!not!deniable.!Valerie!is!bombarded!with! this!news!from!the!day!she!wakes!up!in!the!hospital.!She!knows!that!he!shot! himself.!However,!to!her,!the!Nick!that!shot!himself!was!not!her!Nick.!The!poor! dead,!cold!body!of!a!boy!was!her!Nick,!a!victim!of!society.!“’If!the!people!who! survived!are!stronger!and!all!about!peace!like!the!news!says,!does!that!make!him! a!hero?’!(…)!‘But!it!seems!so!unfair!that!the!school!is!just!moving!on.”24!To!her,!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 23!Page!151,!Looking'For'Alaska.!Green,!John.!Penguin!Group.!Print.! 24!Page!203!Hate'List.!Brown,!Jennifer.!Little,!Brown.!Print!
! 12! Nick!could!never!have!done!what!he!did.!There!is!no!doubt!that!he!killed!all!these! people!and!even!shot!her,!however!this!Nick!is!not!the!boy!she!remembers.!This! is!a!type!of!shock!therapy.!Valerie’s!brain!has!tried!to!save!her!from!them! gruesome!images!she!has!witnessed.!She!cannot!deny!that!Nick!initiated!the! shooting!at!their!school,!however!she!denies!that!the!boy!that!performed!the! shooting!was!the!Nick!she!fell!in!love!with.!She!even!says!she!finds!herself! wishing!he!were!in!jail,!not!dead,!so!she!could!visit!him!and!see!him.25!
!
Unreliability!and!Bias!–!!
Both!John!Green!and!Jennifer!Brown!leave!hints!throughout!their!novels! for!the!reader!to!notice!that!they!should!not!believe!and!take!every!word!as!the! two!protagonists!tell!it.!Both!Valerie!and!Miles!are!unreliable!and!biased! narrators.!!!
Both!protagonists!are!connected!emotionally!to!the!deceased!character.!
This!in!itself!means!that!no!unbiased!opinion!can!be!made!about!the!deceased! characters.!!
Because!the!novels!are!written!in!the!first!perspective!of!a!single!narrator,! the!possibilities!to!create!an!unbiased!storyline!are!limited.!The!reader!only!has! one!point!of!view,!having!to!establish!his/her!own!opinion!with!a!narrow!range! of!unbiased!information!portrayed.!!
As!seen!in!the!previous!sections,!these!foreshadowing’s!spread!across!the! novels.!Both!protagonists!idolize!the!deceased!character.!Both!novels!are!split!up! into!parts,!showing!a!clear!break!in!storyline.!These!parts!also!give!the!reader!a!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 25!Page!207!Hate'List.!Brown,!Jennifer.!Little,!Brown.!Print!
! 13! chance!to!really!notice!that!what!has!been!shared!and!what!is!being!shared!are! not!necessarily!the!truth!and!may!even!be!unreliable.!
An!example!of!unreliability!in!Hate'List!would!be!when!Valerie!protects!
Nick!in!front!of!her!psychologist.!Although!she!is!supposed!to!find!closure!with! what!has!happened,!she!refuses!to!see!the!bad!in!Nick:!“I!didn’t!know!he!really! meant!all!that!stuff!(…)!He!wasn’t!a!bad!guy.”26!In!fact,!she!is!still!trying!to!find!a! way!to!blame!herself!for!the!school!shooting:!“The!list!was!my!!idea.!My! brainchild.!I!started!it,!I!kept!it!going.”27!She!does!not!want!to!be!guilty,!but!she! wants!to!have!something!in!common!with!Nick.!She!wants!to!feel!like!they!did! something!together.!The!reader!only!realizes!what!Nick!has!done!through! newspaper!articles!and!the!dialogue’s!of!every!other!character!but!Valerie.!To! her,!all!this!talk!about!closure!and!forgiving!herself!means!nothing.!This!means! the!reader!is!not!given!the!chance!to!have!an!insight!on!all!the!things!that!really! happened.!!
An!example!of!unreliability!in!Looking'for'Alaska!is!Miles’!drastic!change! between!describing!Alaska!before!her!death!and!the!way!he!describes!Alaska! after!her!death.!At!first,!she!is!nothing!but!an!object!of!lust!for!Miles.!He!finds!her! personality!and!destructive!way!annoying!rather!than!lovable:!“She’s!cute,!I! thought,!but!you!don’t!need!to!like!a!girl!who!treats!you!like!you’re!ten:!You’ve! already!got!a!mom.”28!After!her!death,!however,!Miles!creates!a!New!Alaska.!His!
New!Alaska!is!perfect,!and!she!loved!him!too.!To!him,!his!New!Alaska!is!real!and! when!told!otherwise!he!reacts!with!ignorance!and!often!hostility.!For!example,! when!his!friend!asks!him!why!he!is!wondering!what!it!would’ve!been!like!with! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 26!Page!218!Hate'List.!Brown,!Jennifer.!Little,!Brown.!Print! 27!Page!135!Hate'List.!Brown,!Jennifer.!Little,!Brown.!Print! 28!Page!35,!Looking'For'Alaska.!Green,!John.!Penguin!Group.!Print.!
! 14! Alaska,!Miles!tells!him!“(…)!I’d!rather!wonder!than!get!answers!I!couldn’t!live! with.”29!By!making!Miles!openly!admit!that!he!is!purposely!imagining!a!different!
Alaska,!John!Green!is!portraying!Miles!as!biased!and!unreliable.!When!Alaska’s! best!friend!wants!to!investigate!further!into!her!death,!Miles!wants!to!end!the! discussion:!“’Maybe!we!should!just!let!her!be!dead,”!(…)!“All!it!does!is!make!her! into!this!awful,!selfish!bitch.”30!When!Miles!says!this,!Alaska’s!friend!calls!out!his! changed!image!of!Alaska:!“Christ,!Pudge.!Do!you!even!remember!the!person!she! actually!was?!Do!you!remember!how!she'could'be!a!selfish!bitch?!That!was!part! of!her,!and!you!used!to!know!it.!It’s!like!now!you!only!care!about!the!Alaska!you! made!up.”31!This!shows!just!how!deep!Miles!has!drifted!off!into!his!illusion!of!
Alaska.!Even!other!characters!in!the!novel!are!noticing!it.!
!
Closure!–!
The!act!of!finding!closure!can!be!essential!to!getting!over!the!death!of!a! loved!person.!!
In!Hate'List!Valerie!has!tried!very!hard!to!hold!onto!her!memories!of!her! relationship!of!the!Nick!she!loved.!!When!she!realises!she!must!give!up!these! thoughts!to!move!on!in!her!life,!she!decides!to!flee!the!city!in!which!everything! happened:!“I!thought!about!the!train!that!I!would!catch!in!the!morning!(...)”32!She! leaves!her!family,!her!friends,!and!her!school,!all!in!order!to!be!alone!with!her! thoughts!of!Nick.!This!shows!the!reader!that!because!Valerie!has!gone!through! therapy!and!has!received!large!quantities!of!help!from!her!psychologist,!she!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 29!Page!160,!Looking'For'Alaska.!Green,!John.!Penguin!Group.!Print.! 30!Page!165,!Looking'For'Alaska.!Green,!John.!Penguin!Group.!Print.! 31!Page!165,!Looking'For'Alaska.!Green,!John.!Penguin!Group.!Print.! 32!Page!404!Hate'List.!Brown,!Jennifer.!Little,!Brown.!Print!
! 15! wants!to!come!to!terms!with!his!death.!She!even!visits!his!grave!to!forgive!him:!
“’I!don’t!hate!you,’!I!whispered,!and!then!I!repeated!it,!louder.!‘I!don’t.’”33!In! hopes!that!the!grave!may!tell!her!something!about!why!Nick!initiated!the! shooting,!but!finding!nothing,!she!leaves!disappointed,!realizing!Nick!did!not!only! belong!to!her.34!
In!Looking'for'Alaska,!however,!Miles!continues!to!idolise!his!image!of!
Alaska!he!is!blaming!her!for!leaving!him.!Yet,!other!than!Valerie,!Miles!also! forgives!himself!and!wishes!Alaska!all!the!best!wherever!she!may!be.!In!a!sense,! he!finds!closure.!Because!Miles!as!a!narrator!is!looking!back!on!what!happened,! this!closure!may!have!been!decided!on!a!while!after!the!event!took!place.!“So!I! know!she!forgives!me,!just!as!I!forgive!her.”35!!
!
Conclusion!–!
To!conclude,!these!arguments!show!that!Miles!in!Looking'for'Alaska!by!
John!Green!and!Valerie!in!Hate'List!by!Jennifer!Brown!are!both!biased!and! therefore!unreliable!narrators.!Both!protagonists!are!connected!emotionally!to! the!deceased!characters,!Alaska!and!Nick,!and!therefore!the!story!shared!is!based! on!emotional!bias.!!!
By!paralleling!the!characters!movement!through!realisation,!as!the! character!approach!closure,!the!reader!notices!how!he!was!led!astray!as!well.!
The!reader!only!knows!as!much!as!the!character!gives!away.!The!authors!have! created!these!characters!in!order!to!see!that!one!needs!more!than!one!side!to!an! argument!or!a!happening!to!understand!what!the!truth!is.!The!characters!were! !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! 33!Page!351!Hate'List.!Brown,!Jennifer.!Little,!Brown.!Print! 34!Page!347!Hate'List.!Brown,!Jennifer.!Little,!Brown.!Print! 35!Page!221!Looking'For'Alaska.!Green,!John.!Penguin!Group.!Print.!
! 16! presented!in!one!way!at!the!beginning,!but!throughout!the!novel!it!becomes! apparent!that!the!original!perception!was!flawed.!Until!the!reader!has!realised! what!happened,!both!character!find!closure.!!!
Although!these!protagonists!and!both!unreliable!and!biased,!it!is!difficult! to!filter!this!out!with!first!reading.!What!makes!it!difficult!is!that!both! protagonists!are!relatable.!Many!people!have!lost!someone!in!there!life.!Death!of! a!loved!one!is!not!some!superficial!idea!that!no!one!can!relate!to.!Therefore!the! bias!of!these!protagonists!is!not!noticed!in!the!first!reading.!It!is!natural!to!have! an!emotional!bias!towards!a!deceased!friend.!!
There!is!not!a!large!quantity!of!secondary!literature!available,!and!most! proved!to!be!irrelevant.!Therefore!this!Extended!Essay!only!contains!material! from!the!print!copies!of!the!novels!that!I!possess.!This!means!that!the!primary! source!are!the!novels,!showing!the!in!depth!text!analyses!done.!!
Although!both!John!Green!and!Jennifer!Brown!do!not!make!a!secret!of!the! bias!of!their!protagonists,!they!weave!it!into!a!relatable!storyline!so!that!the! reader!feels!emotionally!connected!to!the!protagonist!rather!than!critiquing! them!for!presenting!only!their!point!of!view.!Herewith,!they!make!their! protagonist!humane!and!relatable.!!
!
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! 17! Acknowledgements!–!
I!would!like!to!thank!my!supervisor!Mrs!FridaybLiebheit!for!assisting!me!in!the! process!of!creating!this!Extended!Essay.!!
I!would!also!like!to!thank!Mr!Garvey!for!introducing!us!and!guiding!us!through! the!process!of!“How!to!write!and!Extended!Essay”!and!helping!us!organize!our! time.!!
I!would!also!like!to!express!my!gratitude!towards!my!fellow!students!who!have! gone!through!the!process!of!creating!an!Extended!Essay!and!I!thank!them!for! showing!interest!towards!my!topic.! !
! 18! Bibliography!&!Works!Consulted!–! o! Brown,!Jennifer.!Hate'List.!New!York:!Little,!Brown,!2009.!Print.! o! Green,!John.!Looking'for'Alaska.!New!York:!Speak,!2007.!Print.! o! "Interview!with!HATE!LIST!Author,!Jennifer!Brown!and!Book!Giveaway!"! Old'People'Writing'for'Teens.!N.p.,!n.d.!Web.!Aug.!2014.!
! 19!