Literary Essay

There are many books that use symbolism, but the book “Looking for Alaska” by john green uses symbolism in a way that helps the plot unfold. Throughout the story,the cigarettes are a recurring idea and are a big part of the story-line. The cigarettes symbolize self-loathing, stress, and peer pressure.

Cigarettes in the book, are frequently used to represent the self loathing of characters, whether its hidden, or out in the open. An example of the self-loathing displayed by the characters is, “ Y’all smoke to enjoy it. I smoke to die.” This quote shows how within many of the characters, there is always a hint of doubt or self-destruction. Alaska has had a lot of tragedy and hardship in her life which gives her even more misgivings and troubles. She hides many of her problems from her friends which then leads to more serious issues.

In many parts of the story, cigarettes are also used when the characters are under a lot of stress. In the book, whenever there is a stressful time, there are always cigarettes to help relieve the stress. One example of this is, " Oh, God, I need to smoke. I need to smoke, but I can't reek when I see Sara's parents. " this shows how when the Colonel was stressed out about meeting his girlfriend's parents, smoking became his way of calming himself down. In the book the characters commonly become stressed so  they smoke to help them relax.  

Throughout the story, cigarettes are also commonly used to symbolize peer-pressure. When Miles (pudge) gets to Culver Creek, he is instantly influenced by his new friends and is pressured into smoking to impress them. One example of this is, “ then lit a cigarette and handed it to me. I inhaled. Coughed. Wheezed. Gasped for breath. Coughed again… ‘smoke much?’” This shows how being around people who smoke regularly starts to pressure Miles into thinking he should too. He is not used to smoking but when he is in an atmosphere where people are, he feels like he has to as well to fit in.

Symbolism is heavily used in this book both obviously and subtly. The use of cigarettes to me is one of the most important uses of symbolism in the book because it shows the emotions and personalities of the characters. I also think its very important because it deals with common teen issues that many people can easily connect to.