The Analysis of Conflicts Found in the Novel Looking for Alaska Written by John Green

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THE ANALYSIS OF CONFLICTS FOUND IN THE NOVEL LOOKING FOR ALASKA WRITTEN BY JOHN GREEN

A PAPER

MEILIANA REG.NO 132202086

DIPLOMA – III ENGLISH STUDY PROGRAM FACULTY OF CULTURE STUDY UNIVERSITY OF SUMATERA UTARA MEDAN 2016

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA Approved by

Supervisor,

Dra. Siti Norma Nasution, M.Hum NIP. 19570720198303 2 001

Submitted to Faculty of Culture Study, University of North Sumatera In partial fulfillment of the requirements for Diploma-III in English Study Program

Approved by

Head of Diploma III English Study Program,

Dr. Matius C.A. Sembiring, M.A. NIP. 19521126198112 1 001

Approved by the Diploma-III of English Study Program

Faculty of Culture Study, University of North Sumatera

As a Paper for the Diploma (D-III) Examination

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA Accepted by the Board of Examiners in partial of the requirements for the D-III Examination of the Diploma-III English Study Program, Faculty of Culture Study, University of North Sumatera.

The examination is held on May 2016

Faculty of Culture Study, University of North Sumatera

Dean,

Dr. Syahron Lubis, M.A. NIP. 19511013197603 1 001

Board of Examiners/Readers No.

Name Signature

1. Dr. Matius C.A. Sembiring, M.A. (Head of ESP)

2. Dra. Siti Norma Nasution, M.Hum (Supervisor)

3. Drs. Siamir Marulafau, M.Hum. (Reader)

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA AUTHOR’S DECLARATION

I am MEILIANA, declare that I am the sole author of this paper. Except where the reference is made in the text of this paper, this paper contains no material published elsewhere or extracted in whole or in part from a paper by which I have qualified for or awarded another degree.

No other person’s work has been used without due acknowledgement in the main text of this paper. This paper has not been submitted for the award of another degree in any tertiary education.

Signed :

Date : May, 2016

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA COPYRIGHT DECLARATION

Name : MEILIANA

Title of Paper : The Analysis of Conflicts Found in The Novel Looking

for Alaska Written by John Green

Qualification : D-III / Ahli Madya

Study Program : English

I am willing that my paper should be available for reproduction at the direction of the

Librarian of the Diploma-III English Study Program Faculty of Culture Study USU on the understanding that users are made aware of their obligation under law of the

Republic of Indonesia.

Signed :

Date : May, 2016

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA ABSTRAK

Judul dari kertas karya ini adalah “Analisis pada konflik-konflik di dalam novel Looking for Alaska karya John Green”. Dimana yang menjadi masalah dan tujuan dari penelitian ini adalah untuk menemukan konflik-konflik yang dialami oleh karakter utama yang digambarkan di dalam novel tersebut. Metode yang digunakan dalam kertas karya ini adalah penelitian kepustakaan untuk mendapatkan data tertentu dengan cara mencari dan mengumpulkan beberapa buku yang berhubungan dengan penelitian ini. Dalam kasus karakter utama dalam novel tersebut, ada dua yang paling mendominasi keseluruhan cerita yang akhirnya dianggap sebagai karakter utama. Mereka adalah Miles Halter dan Alaska Young. Di kertas karya ini, penulis menggunakan teori tentang konflik dari Tennyson (1967). Ia membagi konflik menjadi dua bagian, yakni konflik internal dan eksternal. Analisis dalam kertas karya ini akan mendeskripsikan bagaimana gambaran dari konflik internal dan juga eksternal yang dialami oleh Miles dan Alaska. Karakter mereka berdua mempunyai pengaruh besar terhadap alur cerita. Mereka memiliki permasalahan masing-masing di dalam diri mereka yang bisa dipertimbangkan sebagai konflik internal. Dan konflik ekternal ditandai sebagai permasalahan dengan masyarakat atau bahkan pertentangan dengan karakter lainnya.

Kata kunci: Karakter, Konflik Internal, Konflik Eksternal.

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UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA ABSTRACT

The title of this paper is “The Analysis of Conflicts Found in The Novel Looking for Alaska Written by John Green”. The problem and purpose of the study is to find out the conflicts of the main character’s conflicts that are portrayed in the novel. The method that the writer used in this paper is library researhto find certain data by searching and collecting some books which is related to the analysis of conflict in literary work. In the case of the main character, there are two characters that considered as the main characters because they dominated the whole story. They are Miles Halter and Alaska Young. In this paper, the writer uses the theory of conflict by Tennyson (1967). He divided conflict into two part, namely internal conflict and external conflict. The analysis of this paper would like to describe the portrayal of Miles’s and Alaska’s internal conflict and also their external conflict. Miles’s and Alaska’s character have a huge influence in the whole part of the plot. They have their own conflict within themselves which is considered as internal conflict. And the conflict with society or other characters or even sometimes both of them has disagreement with each other named as the external conflict.

Key words: Character, Intenal Conflict, External Conflict.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

First of all, I would like to thank to Almighty God for blessing and giving me health, strength, and ease to finish this paper as one of the requirements to get Diploma-III certificate from English Department Faculty of Cultural Studies, University of North

Sumatera.

Then I would like to express a big gratitude and appreciation to the dean of

Faculty of Cultural Studies, Dr. Syahron Lubis, M.A. and the head of Diploma-III

English Study Program, Dr. Matius C.A. Sembiring, M.A who give me his time and knowledge about doing this paper. Then I would like to express my special thanks to my supervisor Dra. Siti Norma Nasution, M.Hum for her availabilityand advice to correct the process of writing this paper. I would like to say big thanks to my reader

Drs. Siamir Marulafau, M.Hum for his time and suggestion to correct this paper. I would also like to say a deep gratitude to all of the lecturers in English Diploma

Study Program for giving me many knowledges, skills, and abilities.

I would like to say thank to my beloved family especially to my parents, my dearest mother Wati and father Joni. Thank you for all your prayers, loves, motivations, and spirits. I present this paper for them. Thank to my not-so-little brother Andre Purnomo, I really thank you for not doing anything.

I would like to say thank you my dearest ABNORMAL GROUP for always remind me to finish this paper, cares and loves. A huge love to them, Shinta Aulia S,

Elfira Florencya, Mutiara Sandra, Adinda Fuadillah, Hartika Ichtiani, Deswina

Rahmi, Dira Eka P, Reyhan Alqadrie, Faisal Karim, Bima Rakas P, Yulhanri

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA Alfath, Fardhana Iqra. Thank you for your supports, cares, times, jokes, and other things that help me to finish this paper. Thank you for the great friendship since our senior high school.

I would like to thank to all of SOLIDAS friends, thank you for your good time during our classes, especially Rizka (lebar), Rini (boeng), Syafa, Irma,

Zulfachri Abdillaand other friends in SOLIDAS 13’B.

Medan, May 2016 The Writer,

Meiliana Reg. No. 132202086

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA TABLE OF CONTENTS

AUTHOR’S DECLARATION ...... i COPYRIGHT DECLARATION ...... ii ABSTRAK ...... iii ABSTRACT ...... iv ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ...... v TABLE OF CONTENTS ...... vii

1. INTRODUCTION ...... 1 1.1 Background of the Study ...... 1 1.2 Problem of the Study ...... 3 1.3 Purpose of the Study ...... 3 1.4 Scope of the Study ...... 3 1.5 Method of the Study ...... 4 1.6 Significance of the Study ...... 4

2. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERARTURE ...... 5 2.1 Characters and Characterization ...... 5 2.2 Conflict ...... 6 2.2.1. Internal Conflict ...... 8 2.2.2 External Conflict ...... 8

3. THE ANALYSIS ...... 10 3.1 Miles Halter (Pudge) ...... 10 3.2 Alaska Young ...... 22

4. CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION ...... 27 4.1 Conclusion ...... 27 4.2 Suggestion ...... 28

REFERENCES ...... 29

APPENDICES ...... 31 A. Biography of John Green ...... 31 B. Summary of the novel ...... 33

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UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA 1. INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background of the Study

Literature is a creation that expressed by the author with the specific intention.

Taylor (1981:1) states,

“Literature, like other arts, is essentially an imaginative act of the writer’s imagination in selecting, ordering, and interpreting life experiences.”

As we can see from what Taylor states about that literature is the reflection of human’s thoughts in something. On the other hand, literature is an expression of the author in observing of the various problems that occurred, can also be an expression of the author’s personal experiences, feelings, thoughts and ideas, which are summarized in writing. If we learn more about literature itself has a type that can be divided into two categories such as fiction works and non-fiction works. Fiction works are novel, drama, short story, and tale. On the contrary, non-fiction works are essay, history, biography and autobiography.

In this paper, a novel is used as the material of the discussion. Novel is one of the fiction works that usually known as narrative prose. Reeve (1785:26) says,

“Novel is picture of real and manners and of the time in which it was written”. Novel is fundamentally developed by two elements, such as intrinsic and extrinsic elements.

As we see, a novel is the portrayal of human’s life that written and seem to be true, because we can see so many aspects like ambition, conflict, feeling, emotion, desire, and problem, etc. Conflict as the writer mentions before is one of the most essential

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA part of plot in a story. We can say that plot without a conflict just likes a song without melody. Kenney (1966:19) states,

“The conflicts with which fiction concern itself are of many kinds. A story may deal with a conflict within a single man, a conflict between man and society, between man and nature, and so on.”

From the statement above, conflict can be divided into two part such as internal and external. Internal conflict may be an obstacle for the character because of her/his desire contradict with she/he is going to do. Then, external conflict is about the problem itself comes from society or others. Conflicts are interesting thing to find out in the novel or story, because it takes and plays our emotion. Conflicts really complete the whole story and make the reader becomes addicted to read again and again.

In this paper, the writer would like to analysis about the conflicts of the main character in John Green’s novel titled Looking for Alaska, his first novel that was published in March 2005. The reason why the writer chooses Looking for Alaska is because the novel ever broke into the New York Times best seller list at number ten in Children’s Paperback. In addition to, as the writer ever read before and think the novel has many conflicts that can be found. Miles Halter, his nickname ‘Pudge’, as the main character in Looking for Alaska is the student at Culver Creek Preparatory

High School in Alabama. He tries to struggle with his new life in new school and also new friends, actually he never had some friends before. Then, he makes friends with

Chip Martin, Takumi Hikohito, and Alaska Young.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA The conflicts began when Halter’s first night at Culver Creek, he is kidnapped and thrown into a nearby lake by the Weekday Warriors. That is a group of rich

Birmingham-area students who attend Culver Creek. He bears a grudge with

Weekday Warriors, so does his friends. They start to take a revenge, such as pulling a series of pranks in a row to intimidate the Warriors. The main character in Lookingfor

Alaska has internal and external conflict that are described well by John Green.

Internal when it comes to Halter begins to fall in love with Alaska secretly, and external conflict when it comes to Halter fights with his friends and others.

1.2 Problem of the Study

Based on the background above, there is certain problem which will be discussed in this paper. What are the conflicts found in the novel through the main characters Miles Halter and Alaska Young?

1.3 Purpose of the Study

Every scientific activity should have a clear purpose and is based at least on some scientific criteria. The purpose of this study is to find the main character’s conflicts that are portrayed in the novel Looking for Alaska written by John Green.

1.4 Scope of the Study

The scope of this analysis is limited to the main character’s conflicts sucah as internal and external conflict. The writer would like to find out how the conflicts appear in the novel.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA 1.5 Method of the Study

The method applied in writing this paper is the library technique, where the writer collects the required data for the analysis is taken from written text in the novel.

1.6 Significance of the Study

The significances of study are:

(1) Theoretically, the significance of study is the reader will understand about the

conflicts in the novel Looking for Alaska by John Green, especially on the main

character of the novel and increase the literary understanding of conflicts in a

character or novel.

(2) Practically, the study can be used as reference for learning and understanding

about conflicts in a novel besides to give contribution to some study of literature

to reader through this paper. This paper also can be used as reference for further

study for those who are interested in doing the same topic.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA 2. REVIEW OF RELATED LITERATURE

2.1 Characters and Characterization

Character is one of the intrinsic elements in Novel. Character usually can be a human, animal, or fantasy creature that are created by the author within a plot and story for the purpose of the writing itself. A character may be described by the author through dialogues, actions, descriptions, and expositions. Murphy (1972:161) states that:

“One thing we cannot do, but which a writer can, as far as the characters in his novel are concerned, is to probe into the thoughts of a a person. A writer using the ‘eye-of-god’ method or any method that involves the ‘stream of consciousness’, can lay bare the innermost thoughts of the characters that people his books.”

Character can be classified by the amount of influence they have over the plot.

If the character’s actions have a significant effect at the end of the story and show more often than other character, that is called a major or main character. On the other hand, if a character’s action has a little effect or even doesn’t have a effect at the end of the story, then it is called a minor character.

Foster (1995:133) says that character into two part: round and flat character.

Roberts and Jacob (1989:23) says, “Flat Characters are essentially undistinguishable from their group or class. Therefore they are not individual, but representative.

Usually they stay the same; they are static, and not dynamic like round character.

They are not developed, and because they are not central to the plot they do not change or grow.” Based on that statement, character also can be classified by the

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA amount of how they show their personalities. Meanwhile, in order to analyze the character’s personality, the reader must search for a pattern in the character’s behavior, or this way is called characterization. Harmon (2003:88) states that:

“Characterization is the presentation of the character in action, with little or no explicit comment by the author, from the actions.”

When characterization is considered as the method of developing characters, there are several method or theory of characterization. Roberts and Jacobs (1995:135) explain the five ways to present the character. Firstly, from their actions and then the description both personal and environmental, dramatic statements and thought, statements from other characters, and the last is statements by the author speaking as storyteller or observer. From the five basic method to understanding about character, the reader will know when want to determine the major or minor character, and round or flat character, and so on.

2.2 Conflict

The writer is interested in the conflict itself from literary work, especially in novel. Conflict is the element of the story which shows the concerns of the character.

As human being, we all have our life goals that we wish to become true. But, life is not simple as that because there are always an obstacles when we reach our goals. That may be a conflict with nature, or society, or even ourselves. Conflict occurs when a person fails to fulfill their desire. It is natural to human since they have to face the obstacles that lie between their desires and their goals or dreams, and

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA when the satisfaction of human’s desires is rather impossible to reach that is the moment when human undergo the conflict. The conflict of the human happened because human has a limited and restricted capacity to satisfy most of his need. When human endure the conflict, this can cause human to react and brings out the extremes of human energy, human may take action, decision, response, and interactions toward the conflict which they are facing.

Conflict is a struggle which grows out of the interplay of the two opposing forces in plot. The character, usually the protagonist, may be involved in conflict of four different kinds, namely a struggle against the forces of nature, a struggle against another person, a struggle against society as a force, and a struggle for mastery by two elements within the person. Robert (1995: 1694) states that the conflict is:

“The opposition between two characters, between large group of people, or between protagonist and larger forces such as natural objects, ideas, modes of behavior, public opinion, and the like. Conflict may also be internal and psychological.”

Staton, in Nurgiantoro (2007:124) also says,“Konflik dibedakan menjadi dua kategori, yaitu konflik internal dan eksternal. Internal konflik adalah konflik yang terjadi dalam hati jiwa seorang tokoh cerita. Dengan kata lain, konflik ini adalah konflik yang dialami dengan dirinya sendiri. Sementara, konflik eksternal adalah konflik yang terjadi antara seorang tokoh dengan sesuatu di luar dirinya.”

Tennyson (1967:14) argues that there are three basic of conflicts in all plot of prose fiction. The three basic conflicts most frequently cited are:

(1) The individual in conflict with himself.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA (2) The individual in conflict with another individual.

(3) The individual in conflict with analyzed outside force, for example; society and

supernatural.

Types of Conflict

From the definition of conflict above, we can conclude that there are two kinds or types of conflict such as internal and external. Internal conflict is a struggle of the character with his/her morality, fate, desire and belief. And it must be resolved by the character alone. Internal conflict is also known as man versus self. Internal conflict is necessary for good characters, but it’s the least complicated form of conflict. Unlike internal conflict, external conflict deals with the problems of the world such issues as community, nature, government and other characters. External conflict manifests itself as man versus other man, man versus nature, man versus society and man versus fate.

2.2.1 Internal Conflict

Man vs. Self, is a conflict which exist inside the character. This conflict is about the struggle of a character with himself, because there is an obstacle when the character can not fulfill his desire.

2.2.2 External Conflict

External conflict can be divided into three types:

Man vs. Man, is conflict which usually can be expressed by a protagonist character being ridiculed by a bully of antagonist character. These sort of conflicts are

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA the most common. The characters will be opposed by or will oppose the actions or reactions of another characters.

Man vs. Society, this external conflict exists when characters struggle against the morays of their culture and government or other groups. These are conflicts where the characters’s beliefs are against norms that the entire society as a whole endorses.

It could be discrimination practiced by society that is opposed by a minority.

Man vs. Nature, in this term of conflict where nature be an obstacle for the character. They find themselves at odds with forces of nature.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA 3. THE ANALYSIS

3.1 Miles Halter (Pudge)

Miles Halter is the main character in the novelLooking for Alaska.He always appears in every scene and becomes the central of the story in the play. He is a teenage boy who lives in Florida with his parents. Miles, in Florida, was definitely not the popular type, or social in any way especially at school. He is not fond of social interactions, especially small talks.

“That’s cool.” I nodded knowingly, and that about exhausted our conversational topics. I might have asked a question about Jesus Christ Superstar, except that 1. I didn’t know what it was, and 2. I didn’t care to learn, and 3. I never really excelled at small talk. (Green, 2005:4)

He has an unusual interest with the last word of the famous person. He would rather be reading biographies than socializing with others. He likes reading biographies of writers, even if he has never read any of their actual writing, he usually flips to the back or at the end of the writing.

“Why do you like last words so much?” Strange as it might seem, I’d never really thought about why. “I don’t know,” I said, placing my hand against the small of her back. “Sometimes, just because they’re funny. Like in Civil War, a general named Sedgwick said, “They couldn’t hit an elephant from dis---‘ and then he got shot.” She laughed. “But a lot of times, people die how they live. And so last words tell me a lot about who people were, and why they became the sort of people biographies get written about. Does that make sense?” (Green, 2005:128)

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA Even when he has to leave his home in Florida and move to Alabama, he uses the last words of François Rabelais as the only one reason everytime his parents asking why he wants to study in Alabama.

“So this guy,” I said, standing in the doorway of the living room. “François Rabelais. He was this poet. And his last words were ‘I go to seek a Great Perhaps.’ That’s why I’m going. So I don’t have to wait until I die to start seeking a Great Perhaps.” (Green, 2005:5)

Miles Halter moves to Alabama since he decides to spend his time in boarding school to which his father had attended, as had both of his father’s brothers and all their kids. He decided to spend his junior year at Culver Creek Preparatory High

School. He meets his roommates Chip ‘Colonel’ Martin who lately gives him a new nickname as ‘Pudge’, because Chip thinks Miles is skinny and that is called irony.

Chip also introduces Pudge to his other friends, Takumi Hikohito and Alaska Young.

He seems to fall in love with his friend, Alaska Young since the first day they met at

Alaska’s room. She was standing before him in cutoff jeans and peach tank top which

Miles thought she is the hottest girl in all of human history. Eventhough, so much happened Miles is still figuring out why he could be in love with her. Her personality is unpredictable, cold one day and sweet the next.

Miles was not a smoker until he moved to Alabama, because Chip ever asked him whether he smoked or not. But he unexpectedly becomes a smoker when Colonel handed a cigarette to him.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA … and that 3. Alaska had cigarettes, although the Colonel neglected to ask whether 4. I smoked, which 5. I didn’t. (Green, 2005:14)

“Is it safe here?” “Not really,” he said, then lit a cigarette and handed it to me. I inhaled. Coughed. Wheezed. Gasped for breath. Coughed again. Considered vomiting. Grabbed the swinging beach, head spinning, and threw the cigarette to the ground and stomped on it, convinced my Great Perhaps did not involve cigarettes. (Green, 2005:16)

In addition to, Miles also had never drunk before. As Colonel offered him

Ambrosia---five parts milk and one part vodka---, he refused it.

“I think I’ll pass.” Aside from a few sips of champagne on New Year’s under the watchful eye of my parents, I’d never really drunk any alcohol, and “ambrosia” didn’t seem like the drink with which to start. (Green, 2005:36)

He seems to follow everything Chip does no matter what and wherever he goes. In fact, he’s pretty weak-willed when it comes to social interactions.

“THAT’S THE POINT, SHERLOCK!” the Colonel screamed back. The ref came over and kicked him out of the gym. I followed him. (Green, 2005:49)

Another following quote:

She took me behind a wing of Weekday Warrior rooms---50 to 59---and stopped in front of a window, placed her palms flat against it, and pushed up until the window was half open, then crawled inside. I followed.

But as he grows into the society that he’s entered-the world of Curver Creek- he becomes a little more assertive, a little less like drizzle and a little more like a

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA steady rain. Maybe some of the strengths of character in the Colonel and Alaska is rubbing off on him.

Miles Halter hates sports and everything about sports, even people who play them and watch them because he ever had a shameful experience in sports at third grade. It can be seen on page 45 in novel Looking for Alaska:

I hated sports. I hated sports, and I hated people who played them, and I hated people who watched them, and I hated people who didn’t hate people who watched or played them. In third grade---the very last year that one could play T-ball---my mother wanted me to make friends, so she forced me onto the Orlando Pirates. I made friends all right---with a bunch of kindergartners, which didn’t really bolster my social standing with my peers. Primarily, because I towered over the rest of the players, I nearly made it onto the T-ball all-star team that year. The kid who beat me, Clay Wurtzel, had one arm. I was an unusually tall third grader with two arms, and I got beat out by kindergartner Clay Wurtzel. And it wasn’t some pity-the-one-arm-kid thing, either. (Green,2005:45)

Move to religion, as the writer can sum up that Miles Halter was a Christian.

It can be seen when Dr. Hyde was giving them a paper topic for the semester.

Hyde talked about the Gospel of Mark, which I hadn’t read until the day before, although I was a Christian. I guess. I’d been to church, uh, like four times. Which is more frequently than I’d been to a mosque or a synagogue. (Green, 2005:69)

Afterward the writer can conclude that Miles Halter, with his nicknamed

Pudge, can be categorized as a round character because he has so many sides in his personality.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA In novel Looking for Alaska, the main character already shown the conflict within himself when there are only two friends come to his ‘Going-Away Party’ which held at his house.

They left, and so I sat with my parents and stared at the blank TV and wanted to turn it on but knew I shouldn’t. I could feel them both looking at me, waiting for me to burst into tears or something, as if I hadn’t known all along that it would go precisely like this. But I had known. I could feel their pity as they scooped artichoke dip with chips intended for my imaginary friends, but they needed pity more than I did: I wasn’t disappointed. My expectations had been met. (Green, 2005:4)

Miles Halter was not as famous as other teenagers in Florida. So when his mother repeatedly compelled him to invite all his “school friends”---he actually had kept his popularity secret from her mother---to come his ‘Going-Away Party’, he already had the low expectations to that party.

Then the first day at his new school, he was thinking about how he could make friends with someone else. But it was just his imaginary thoughts that would never happen as real as his thoughts.

I vaguely hoped that someone would come up and talk to me. I imagined the conversation: “Hey. Is this your first year?” “Yeah. Yeah. I’m from Florida.” “That’s cool. So you’re used to the heat.” “I wouldn’t be used to this heat if I were from Hades,” I’d joke. I’d make a good first impression. Oh, he’s funny. That guy Miles is a riot. That didn’t happen, of course. Things never happened like I imagined them. (Green, 2005:8)

Miles Halter was kidnapped before his first day of classes by Weekday

Warriors, a group of all rich kids who live in Birmingham and go home to their

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA parents every weekend. They took him a roundabout way to the fake beach and threw him down on the ground. Then they picked him up and hurled into the water.

Sinking. Sinking, but instead of feeling panic or anything else, I realized that “Please guys, don’t” were terrible last words. But then the great miracle of the human species---our buoyancy--- came through, and as I felt myself floating toward the surface, I twisted and turned as best I could so that the warm night air hit my nose first, and I breathed. I wasn’t dead and wasn’t going to die. (Green, 2005:26)

Miles has another internal conflict with himself when it comes to thinking about Alaska. It can be seen from the following quote:

Alaska sat directly across from me in the circle of desks, but she didn’t look at me once the entire class, even though I could notice little but her. Maybe she could be mean . . . but the way she talked that first night about getting out of the labyrinth---so smart. And the way her mouth curled up on the right side all the time, like she was preparing to smirk, like she’d mastered the right half of the Mona Lisa’s inimitable smile . . . (Green, 2005:30)

He was so in love with her personality and confused with her moody side at the same time. Instead of thinking how he could be Alaska’s lover, he prefers to figuring out what the meaning of labyrinth in Simón Bolívar’s last word that Alaska asked him to.

I woke up half an hour later, when she sat down on my bed, her butt against my hip. Her underwear, her jeans, the comforter, my corduroys, and my boxers between us, I thought. Five layers, and yet I felt it, the nervous warmth of touching---a pale reflection of the fireworks of one mouth on another, but a reflection nonetheless. And in the almostness of the moment, I cared at least enough. I wasn’t sure whether I liked her, and I doubted whether I could trust her, but I cared at least enough to find out: Her on my bed, wide green eyes staring down at me.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA The enduring mystery of her sly, almost smirking, smile. (Green, 2005:75)

He never really knew what he felt about Alaska Young. A girl sit next to him with sweet and sometimes rude personality. She loves to say sweet things about Miles and also talk about how she loves her boyfriend so much.

Just like that. From a hundred miles an hour to asleep in a nanosecond. I wanted so badly to lie down next to her on the couch, to wrap my arms around her and sleep. Not fuck, like in those movies. Not even have sex. Just sleep together, in the most innocent sense of the phrase. But I lacked the courage and she had a boyfriend and I was gawky and she was gorgeous and I was hopelessly boring and she was endlessly fascinating. So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane. (Green, 2005:80)

Another internal conflict that can be found in the novel Looking for Alaska when Miles blames himself because of the death of Alaska Young. Alaska had a terrible car crash and passed away.

For a moment, it was so quiet that you could hear the sound of not-breathing, the vacuum created by 190 students shocked out of air. I thought: It’s all my fault. I thought: I’m going to throw up. I thought: I don’t feel very good. I stood up and ran outside. I made it to a trash can outside the gym, five feet from the double doors, and heaved toward Gatorade bottles and half-eaten McDonald’s. (Green, 2005:140)

Another following quote:

In between gags and coughs, I sucked air in hard. Her mouth. Her dead, cold mouth. To not be continued. I knew she was drunk. Obviously. And Christ, Miles, what the hell is wrong with you? And then comes the puke, finally, splashing onto the trash.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA The story after Alaska’s death filled with Miles and Colonel looking for the reasons of her death. They haven’t accepted that she died in a car crash. Because she was not too drunk enough to realize that there was a car drove in front of her car.

After a long time seeking the reason behind Alaska’s death, he found nothing.

But still, he would never forget about Alaska. He was talking to himself,

Because I will forget her, yes. That which came together will fall apart imperceptibly slowly, and I will forget, but she will forgive my forgetting, just as I forgive her for forgetting me and the Colonel and everyone but herself and her mom in those last moments she spent as a person. I know now that she forgives me for being dumb and scared and doing the dumb and scared thing. I know she forgives me, just as her mother forgives me. (Green, 2005:219)

External conflicts of the main character in the novel have been found by the writer in this analysis. Miles’s external conflicts usually come into the disagreement statement with other character. In novel Looking for Alaska, the writer found the external conflict when Miles and his friends were caught smoking by Mr. Starnes (the dean of students).

“Y’all smell like a North Carolina tobacco field in a wildfire,” he said. We stood silent. I felt disproportionately, like I had just been caught fleeing the scene of a murder. Would he call my parents? “I’ll see you in Jury tomorrow at five,” he announced, and then walked away. (Green, 2005:56)

He makes a fault from breaking a rule in Culver Creek. Eventhough, he doesn’t smoke at all when Mr. Stanes caught them. But still, he had been asked to come to Jury. Of course, he already made a problem with society because of watching

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA people smoking or sometimes he smoked though. But later in Jury, he doesn’t get any punishment from the dean, it’s just a caution if he did it again.

During his friendship with Alaska, indeed he ever had a dispute with her. It can be seen from the following quote:

“I don’t understand why I screw everything up,” she said. “What, like with Marya? Maybe you were just scared.” “Scared isn’t a good excuse!” she shouted into the couch. “Scared is the excuse everyone has always used!” I didn’t know who “everyone” was, or when “always” was, and as much as I wanted to understand her ambiguities, the slyness was growing annoying. (Green, 2005:95)

He tries to calm down Alaska and forget about it. After Christmas is over, they start to make a plan for their prank to revenge Weekday Warrior. The team consists of Miles, Alaska, Chip (Colonel), Lara and Takumi. They do revenge for kidnapping Miles in his first night before school, for flooding Alaska’s room, and for pissing in Colonel’s shoes. All the plans are made by Alaska and relied so heavily on perfect synchronicity by Colonel. At first, everything seems perfect. Until then, nature doesn’t make common cause with Takumi and Miles. They make a slight error in navigation, so they have to start running along the shore. It can be seen from the following quote:

The lake wasn’t all that big---maybe a quarter mile long, so we didn’t have far to go when I saw it. The swan. Swimming toward us like a swan possessed. Wings flapping furiously as it came, and then it was on the shore in front of us, making a noise that sounded like nothing else in this world, like all the worst parts of a dying rabbit plus all the worst parts of a

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA crying baby, and there was no other way, so we just ran. I hit the swan at a full run and felt it bite into my ass. And then I was running with a noticeable limp, because my ass was on fire, and I thought to myself, What the hell is in swan saliva that burns so badly? (Green, 2005:107)

Miles is still okay because that’s not bleeding. They start to celebrate their accomplished mission. Miles and Takumi get success for pre-prank in causing Mr.

Starnes far away from school, while Alaska and Colonel were going to hack into the faculty computer network and use their grading database to send out letters to Kevin et al.’s families saying that they are falling the classes. It was an eventful day for them. They drunk over and stayed late at night before actually coming back to school and met Mr. Starnes and told they’re pretty fine after spending time in Colonel’s house which is a big lie.

That one night, exactly before getting a worst news about Alaska’death, he picked up Alaska and Colonel into his room. They chatted some, but mostly they drank and drifted out the conversation. Alaska shouted to play ‘Truth or Dare’ game, but Colonel was too drunk to agree that games. But Miles’s still listening to her and agreeing with it; They’re about kissing that’s Alaska idea when Miles said dare. Then they both fall asleep.

Alaska got up when heard a phone ring, and returned with slammed the door so hard. She cried. She wanted them to distract the Eagle so she could go. They agreed.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA The day after, they all heard that Alaska had a car accident. Everyone was shocked. Miles’s introspective nature and introversion especially come to the fore after Alaska’death. He is mind wanders along paths of variation, where nothing is clear, particularly when it comes to who Alaska was and his role in her death. Miles and Colonel are still shocked and mad with the incident. They easily get angry with everything. It can be seen from following quote:

Again, he tried and failed, and again, smacking at the matchbook with a crescendoing fury until he finally threw the matches to the ground and screamed, “GODDAMN IT!” “It’s okay,” I said, reaching into my pocket for a lighter. “No, Pudge, it’s not,” he said, throwing down his cigarette and standing up, suddenly pissed. “Goddamn it! God, how did this happen? How could she be so stupid! She just never thought anything through. So godamned impulsive. Christ. It is not okay. I can’t believe she was so stupid!” “We should have stopped her,” I said. (Green, 2005:145)

He simply had a fight again with Colonel when they tried to figure out whether Alaska tried to kill herself or not. Colonel yelled at him:

“What if she did do it?” I asked the Colonel. “We’re not any less guilty. All it does is make her into this awful, selfish bitch.” “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.” I sped up, walking ahead of the Colonel, silent. (Green, 2005:165)

Colonel is still curious about her death. He tries to find anything that related to her before her death, but he argues with Miles. It can be seen from the following quote:

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA I stood up and stared down at him sitting smugly, and he blew a thin stream of smoke at my face, and I’d had enough. “I’m tired of following orders, asshole! I’m not going to sit with you and discuss the finer points of her relationship with Jake, goddamn it. I can’t say it any clearer: I don’t want to know about them. I already know what she told me, and that’s all I need to know, and you can be a condescending prick as long as you’d like, but I’m not going to sit around and chat with you about how goddamned much she loved Jake! Now give me my cigarettes.” The Colonel threw the pack on the ground and was up in a flash, a fistful of my sweater in his hand, trying but failing to pull me down to his height. “You don’t even care about her!” he shouted. (Green, 2005:170)

That was not easy to giving up for looking the reason behind someone’s death. People will always feel curious about death, so do Miles and Colonel. So when they decide to stop the search, they plan to make a memorial prank for Alaska Young in Culver Creek. They plan to shake Speaker Day, in which every spring Culver

Creek took one Friday afternoon off from classess and all people were required to go to the gym for it, up a bit. They pay a stripper to act as a psychology professor and then dance naked in front of the school. And it really works so perfectly. The Creek would never again see such a prank, and it didn’t even occur to Miles that he might get in trouble.

At the end of the story, Miles blamed himself as letting her go when she was drunk, so did Colonel. They stopped the investigation. Both of them never told the truth to

Takumi and Lara for knowing that because of them Alaska could go out from dormitory until they knew that Takumi was also the same position with them. He knew that Alaska called over her boyfriend, Jake, and unexpectedly remember that

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA her mother was dead eight years that day, and that she always put flowers on her mother’s grave on the anniversary, but she forgot that year.

3.2 Alaska Young

Alaska Young can be considered as the main character because she has a huge influence over the plot in Looking for Alaska. Alaska is a gorgeous, clever, and moody character. She has a boyfriend named Jake. The whole story revolves mostly around her mystery. She is a gorgeous girl with the excited thoughts and always talking loud and fast. It can be seen from the following quote:

We walked in. I turned to close the door behind me, and the Colonel shook his head and said, “After seven, you have to leave the door open if you’re in a girl’s room,” but I barely heard him because the hottest girl in all of human history was standing before me in cutoff jeans and a peach tank top. And she was talking over the Colonel, talking loud and fast. (Green, 2005:14)

She is clever enough to teach her friends about the precacl. She teaches class like any good teacher and tolerates little dissension. It can be seen from the following quote:

“Studies show that marijuana is better for your health than those cigarettes,” Hank said. Alaska swallowed a mouthful of french fries,took a drag on her cigarettes, and blew smoke across the table at Hank. “I may die young,” she said. “But at least I’ll die smart. Now, back to tangents.” (Green, 2005:52)

Another personality that Alaska has is her moody side. She can be sweet with you today and careless the next day. It can be seen from other statement about her personality in the following quote:

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA And if the Colonel thought that calling me his friend would make me stand by him, well, he was right. “Alaska was kind of mean to me tonight,” I said. I leaned over, opened an empty desk drawer, and used it as a makeshift ashtray. “Like I said, she’s moody.” (Green, 2005:28)

She also can be described as a self-destructive kind of person. She participates in self-destuctive activities such as excessive smoking and drinking.

“Why do you smoke so damn fast?” I asked. She looked at me and smiled widely, and such a wide smile on her narrow face might have looked goofy were it not for the unimpeachably elegant green in her eyes. She smiled with all the delight of a kid on Christmas morning and said, “Y’all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die.” (Green, 2005:43)

She blames her self for her mother’s death. She was telling her friend about the truth behind her mother’s death. She had aneurysm and Alaska didn’t call the 911. Takumi tries to calm down Alaska but nothing changes. She still blames herself.

“Yeah. I was a little kid. Little kids can dial 911. They do it all the time. Give me the wine,” she said, deadpan and emotionless. She drank without lifting her head from the day. (Green, 2005:119)

Alaska is a sweet girl when she is in a good mood. She is beautiful and smells like sunshine, vanilla, and cigarette at the same time. It can be see from the following quote:

And now is as good a time as any to say that she was beautiful. In the dark beside me, she smelled of sweat and sunshine and vanilla, and on that thin-mooned night I could see little more than her silhouette except for when she smoked, when the burning cherry of the cigarette washed her face in pale red light. (Green, 2005:19)

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA A hundred thirty-six days before Alaska’s death, she lives her life as usual.

She is a student in Culver Creek and friend of Colonel, Takumi, and Lara. Because she is deliberated as the self-destructive character, Alaska has a conflict within herself when she uses to think about her mother’s death---it can be considered as the internal conflict. All that causes into her personality becomes the moody ones. From the quote on page 43 in the novel, Alaska ever said that “Y’all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die.” We can see that so much pain in herself inside. As we know what she has been through before, but still Alaska is deeply conflicted with herself.

A night exactly when Miles has been kidnapped by Weekday Warrior, he comes to Alaska’s room because he figures she could explain to him whathad just happened. But Alaska is so rude at him. She just laughed then says,

“Give me a break,” she said. “Come on. You know what? There are people with real problems. I’ve got real problems. Mommy ain’t here, so buck uo, big guy.” (Green, 2005:27)

She never tells about ‘real problems’ stands for. The following above can be considered as her internal conflict. She just wants herself struggles alone in all her problems. Another internal conflicts of her can be found at the following quote below:

“How’ve you been?” I finally asked. “I’m really not up for answering any questions that start with how, when, where, why, or what.” “What’s wrong?” I asked. “That’s a what. I’m not doing what’s right now. All right, I should go.” She pursed her lips and exhaled slowly, like the was the Colonel blew out smoke. (Green, 2005:69)

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA Alaska is unpredictably cried over Miles and start to scream. Miles asks her for the reason of why she gets upset. The only one reason is still always she thinks that she has ruined everything in her life.

… “There’s no home.” “Well, you have a family,” I backpedaled. She’d talked to me about her mom just that morning. How could the girl who told that joke three hours before become a sobbing mess? Still staring at me, she said, “I try not to be scared, you know. But I still ruin everything. I still fuck up.” (Green, 2005:96)

Alaska is always get mad easily when there is a boy judge other’s girl body. It can be seen when Colonel judged Lara’s body, Alaska shouted at him. She has a disagreement with everyone who loves to judge everyone. From the following quote below, it can be summed uo as the external conflict with other:

“She has a great breasts,” the Colonel said without looking up from the whale. “DO NOT OBJECTIFY WOMEN’S BODIES!” Alaska shouted. Now he looked up. “Sorry. Perky breasts.” “That’s not any better!” “Sure it is,” he said. “Great is a judgment on a woman’s body. Perky is merely an observation. They are perky. I mean, Christ.” “You’re hopeless,” she said. (Green, 2005:60)

Then, the day before her death Alaska seems to do everything like usual. She was invited to Colonel’s room, and she came. They were drunk and fall asleep until she heard the phone ring outside the room. She talked to someone, then came back with emotions overflowing. She cried.

She sat down and put her head between her legs, sobbing. “Just please distract the Eagle right now so I can go. Please.” The colonel and I, at the same moment, equal in our guilt, said, “Okay.”

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA “Just don’t turn on your lights,” the Colonel said. “Just drive slow and don’t turn on your lights. Are you sure you’re okay?” “Fuck,” she said. “Just get rid of the Eagle for me,” she said, her sobs childlike half screams. “God oh God, I’m so sorry.” (Green, 2005:132)

We all know that was the last day of Alaska Young. She got a car crash after going out from dormitory.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA 4. CONCLUSION AND SUGGESTION

4.1 Conclusion

Miles Halter and Alaska Young are the main character of the story in Looking for Alaska. They canbe considered as the round character because they have so many roles in the story. Miles seems to appear at the whole of the story and has many personalities which is robbing off on his friends. He tends to become the different person in Culver Creek than what he was before in Florida. Keep in mind, he’s obsessed with the last word of people dead. The characterization of Miles Halter can be sum up from their action which is always following what his friend does, then from the other’s statement about himself, and also can be seen from the statement of the author or storyteller. Then, Alaska Young seems to appear just in the first chapter, namely ‘Before’ by the author which is meant that the story telling about before

Alaska’s death.

Miles’s character is dominated with the interal conflicts than external conflicts.

It can be seen from the chapter 3 of the analysis. There are more significant quotes of describing of the internal conflicts.Both internal and external conflicts that found in

Miles Halter are the portrayed of himself in life. Internal conflicts are more likely to appear shortly before Alaska died. In the other hand, external conflicts are more likely to appear after she died. It becauses Miles and Colonel always have a fight during the investigation.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA Alaska has fewer conflicts both internal and external in the novel. Her internal conflict just decribes how she hates and blames herself for her mother’s death. Then her external conflicts only shown when she has a disagreement with other character.

In conclusion, the writer can find the two types of conflicts in the novel

Looking for Alaska written by John Green. Firstly, the portrayal of internal conflict.

Secondly, the portrayal of external conflict. Both of them can be found in Miles’s and

Alaska’s character.

4.2 Suggestion

During doing this paper, the writer enjoys in reading the literary works, in this case is novel, especially when the writer has to figure out the intrinsic elements. We all know that character is one of the intrinsic elements and conflict is closely related to a character. Conflict has a moral lesson in other’s experiences of a problem. We can broaden our mind of other people’s conflicts because the conflict itself is able to come out at anytime in our life. It is absolutely inevitable in our life.

The story of Looking for Alaska is teaching us to thankful for what we have today. Because we never know how we would die in the future or even tomorrow.

The conflicts of the story also reflect a moral value dealing with human’s life, namely friendship. Miles and his friends show their loyalty in friendship and also love each others.

The writer would like to expect that the reader of this paper should be more understanding about the conflict itself than just judging the problem. Hopefully, this paper also can be the references of the writing of conflicts in another novels.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA REFERENCES

Arikunto, S. 2006. Prosedur Penelitian. Jakarta: Rineka Cipta.

Green, John. 2005. Looking for Alaska. New Jersey: Dutton Books.

Kenney, William. 1966. How to Analyze Fiction. New York: Monarch Press.

Nurgiyantoro, Burhan. 2007. Teori Pengkajian Fiksi. Yogyakarta: Gadjah Mada University Press.

Priadi, Rahmad. 2009. “An Analysis of The Main Character’ Conflict in Mitch Albom’s Tuesday with Morrie” (Thesis). Medan: Fakultas Sastra USU.

Ratna, Nyoman Kutha. 2004. Teori, Metode, dan Teknik Penelitian Sastra. Denpasar: Pustaka Pelajar.

Reeve, Clara. 1785. Literature: An introduction to fiction, poetry, and drama. New York: Harper collins.inc.

Roberts, Edgar & Henry E. Jacobs. 1987. Literature: An Introduction to Reading and Writing. New Jersey: Prentice Hall.

Sembiring, Matius C.A. 2014. Buku Panduan Program D3 Bahasa Inggris Fakultas Ilmu Budaya USU. Medan: Unpublished.

Sembiring, Matius C.A. 2014. Metode Penelitian. Medan: Unpublished.

Stanton, Robert. 2007. Teori Fiksi. (Translated by Sugihastuti). Yogyakarta: Pustaka Pelajar.

Surachman, Winarno. 1982. Pengantar Penelitian Ilmiah. Bandung: Tarsito

Suryabrata, Sumadi. 2002. Metode Penelitian. Jakarta: Raja Gravindo Persada.

Tantawi, Isma. 2013. Terampil Berbahasa Indonesia. Bandung: Citapustaka Media Perintis.

Taylor. Richard. 1981. Understanding The Elements of Literature. London: The Mac Millan Press Ltd.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA Wellek, Rene and Austin Warren. 1990. Teori Kesusastraan (Translated by Melani Budianta). Jakarta: PT Gramedia.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA APPENDICES

A. Biography of John Green

Green has won numerous accolades for his six novels – Looking for Alaska, An Abundance of Katherines, Let It Snow: Three Holiday

Romances (with Maureen Johnson and Lauren Myracle), Paper Towns, Will

Grayson, Will Grayson and The Fault in Our Stars – and his short stories.

His debut novel, Looking for Alaska, was awarded the American Literary

Association’s annual Michael L. Printz award; An Abundance of Katherines was a runner-up for the same award and a finalist for Los Angeles Times Book

Prize. Green’s third book,Paper Towns, debuted at number five on the New York

Times bestseller list in 2008 and was later awarded 2009 Edgar Award for

Best Young Adult Novel and the Corine Literature Prize in 2010. Published in

2010, Will Grayson, Will Grayson is the result of collaboration with Green’s friend and fellow young adult author, David Levithan. The novel was a runner-up

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA both for Stonewell Book Award, for excellence in LGBT in children’s and young adult fiction, and the Odyssey Award for excellence in Audiobook Production.

Green’s most recent publication, The Fault in Our Stars, was Number 1 on the New York Times Bestseller list in 2012 and was released as a major motion film in June 2014.

Born in Indianapolis, Indiana on August 24th, 1977, John Green spent his childhood in Orlando, Florida. He attended Indian Springs School in Indian

Springs Village, Alabama, which served as the basis for Culver Creek Preparatory

School in Looking for Alaska. He graduated from Kenyon College in 2000 with degrees English and Religious Studies. Post-college, Green intended to become an Episcopal priest. He spent several months working with hospitalized children as a student chaplain in Chicago. It was during this time that he decided to become a writer; he later published The Fault in Our Stars, which deals with adolescents with life-threatening illnesses.

Besides writing, Green works on other projects, mainly through online videos. In 2007, Green and his brother Hank started Brotherhood 2.0, a yearlong project in which the two brothers agreed to cease all forms of communication except video blogs. Using a Youtube channel, “VlogBrothers,” they posted videos to each other on alternating days. Although intended to be a year long and fairly private affair, the channel spawned a following of people around their world calling themselves "Nerdfighters." In 2013, the channel reached 1 million subscribers. Through the years since 2007, "Nerdfighteria" has followed the lead

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA of John and Hank Green to give to charity, create and follow educational

YouTube channels, and celebrate the VlogBrother motto "DFTBA," or "Don't

Forget To Be Awesome."

John Green currently lives in Indianapolis with his wife, Sarah Urist

Green, his children, Henry and Alice, and dog, Willy.

B. Summary of The Novel

Miles Halter is tired of his predictable and friendless life (check out the going-away party for him at the beginning of the book), so he decides to attend

Culver Creek boarding school in Alabama for his junior year of high school. He tells his parents that he's going to seek a Great Perhaps, that there's something more for him.

And there is. The story is split in two parts: before and after.

Before

Miles meets the Colonel (real name Chip Martin), Takumi, and Alaska

Young. The Colonel grew up in a trailer park, Alaska and her dad don't get along

(mystery alert), and Takumi is just kind of there for a while. The three take Miles

(nicknamed Pudge because he's so skinny) under their wing and introduce him to the social order of campus, mischief-making, smoking cigarettes, and drinking.

They have to avoid the Eagle—the aptly-named dean of the school—when they're creating mischief so they don't get brought before a peer jury and appropriately punished.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA Miles's favorite class is religious studies, taught by an old man nicknamed… the Old Man. He lectures all the time and makes Miles think about religion, philosophy, and life, and Miles loves it. Alaska doesn't.

After Miles is hazed pretty hard by the Weekday Warriors (students who stay only during the week at the boarding school), his new friends vow to help him return the favor. Miles meets Lara, and goes on a triple date with her, the

Colonel and his pseudo-girlfriend Sara, and Alaska and her college-aged boyfriend Jake. The date ends with Miles getting a concussion from a basketball and ralphing on Lara's shoes. Also, the date doesn't really mean anything, because

Miles is well on his way to falling in love? lust? some combination? with Alaska.

Time passes and Miles continues his involvement in shenanigans and obsessing about Alaska. He stays on campus for Thanksgiving to try to get with her, but all he gets for his trouble is a sense of homesickness and confusion.

Miles, the Colonel, Takumi, Alaska, and Lara pull an epic prank on both the

Eagle and the Weekday Warriors that involves blue hair dye and fake progress reports, and during their hideout, all the friends find out that Alaska's mom died of an aneurysm right in front of Alaska when Alaska was eight… which explains a lot about Alaska.

A couple nights later, Miles and the Colonel and Alaska are hanging out in

Alaska's room. Both the Colonel and Alaska are drinking to celebrate the epic prank, but Miles isn't. Alaska and Miles make out a little (dream come true moment for Miles), but then Alaska gets a phone call from her boyfriend Jake

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA because it's their eight-month anniversary. Ooh—drama. Then she freaks out and leaves campus in her car. Miles and the Colonel help her go by setting off fireworks on the Eagle's porch.

After

All students are called to the gym the following morning for an announcement. The Eagle says that Alaska has died in a horrible car crash.

Emotional train wreck ensues for all students… but especially for Miles and the

Colonel. The Colonel and Miles are consumed with guilt. They flail about with each other, in classes, and with their other friends because they are caught up in how Alaska died, their culpability, and whether or not she committed suicide.

The two friends try to unravel the mystery: they go to talk to the officer whose car Alaska hit, they steal a Breathalyzer from the Eagle's house to figure out how drunk Alaska actually was, and they talk to Alaska's ex-boyfriend, Jake.

In the midst of this, they ignore both Takumi and Lara (she and Miles dated for like, a day). And at the same time, Miles is trying to come to grips with who

Alaska was and who he wanted her to be. Then Miles and the Colonel, with

Takumi and Lara (who have forgiven them for their single-minded grief), plan the most epic prank ever seen by Culver Creek Boarding School. It involves a class speaker, a stripper, and a lie told by Miles's father. Dedicated to the memory of

Alaska, it is a huge success.

Life marches on. Eventually Miles and the Colonel come to terms with their loss and grief and give up on the mystery of Alaska; then they throw

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA themselves into their studies. The Old Man assigns a final exam essay that asks how each student personally gets out of their own labyrinth of suffering. Miles, finally, has some answers for the question and writes about them in his final exam, thus writing himself out of his own labyrinth of suffering about Alaska.

UNIVERSITAS SUMATERA UTARA