Learn from the Past, Live in the Present, Strive for the Future

Chip (the Colonel) Martin is not the central character of John Green’s “Looking for Alaska”, however, his complex nature allows for in-depth character analysis.

The Colonel grew up in a family that was on the edge of falling to pieces, the main conflict being his father, who was an unfaithful, irresponsible, and most notably, abusive man. After leaving the family behind, his father did not think twice to call him in order to explain the situation to him or to simply say goodbye. Chip endlessly waited for a phone call that was never going to arrive. In the aftermath following that day, the Colonel’s mother took full custody of him and raised him in a very small trailer park home. All the two had left was each other and the trailer park home in which they called home.

As a result of the circumstances in which the Colonel grew up in, he has been able to develop himself into a hardworking, and remarkably loyal individual. He has essentially became an individual that would heavily contrast his father’s character in which he despised.

Difficult as it was for his mother to send him to school, as it would separate the loving family of two, the Colonel’s mother gave him the opportunity to spread his wings at Culver Creek. After all, he had worked hard to earn his scholarship. On the other hand, the Colonel never dismissed the idea that it was difficult for his mother to send him to school, and in result, he made up his mind to not disappoint his mother. During the difficult time in which the Colonel and Miles were both struggling to move on from Alaska’s death, studying did not lose any importance to the Colonel. Unlike the Colonel, Miles was mentally able to settle with a 3.0 GPA, but for him, nothing less than a 4.0 GPA would suffice. The Colonel had two ambitions and to achieve both ambitions, studying hard and doing well in school would be the only ways to achieve those ambitions. Despite being a complete goof at times with his planning and executing of pranks, smoking and drinking habits, the Colonel would never go to the extent of committing any expellable offenses, as in the end, he had a great desire to attend an amazing college. Following the graduation from college, he had a vision of settling down with a high-paying job that would allow him to achieve his second ambition, expressing his gratitude to his mother in the form of a luxurious home. The parents of the Weekday Warriors he once despised, but internally became envious of, would eventually become his mother’s neighbours. In his younger years, the Colonel was only a bystander who was unable to stop the foul treatment that his father was giving his mother. In order to compensate for his inaction in the past, the Colonel wants to become the man that could support his mother; to have the ability to provide her with a better life; the opposite of his irresponsible father.

The Colonel’s tragic past not only inspired him to become hard-working, but it also caused him to become an individual who is highly concerned with the entire idea of loyalty. There were many instances throughout the novel in which the Colonel portrayed his loyal nature. When Miles first arrived to Culver Creek, he was informed by the Colonel of the one rule to never forget while on campus; to never rat. Although it hadn’t been long since the Colonel met Miles, he nonetheless gave Miles the same treatment as he would to any one of his close friends. The Colonel was an man of action, he did not hesitate at all to develop a counter-strategy to seek justice from the Weekday Warriors for Miles. Additionally, there was another instance in which the Colonel, along with Alaska took the blame for being accused as the smokers at the Jury, which allowed Miles and Takumi to get off the hook without any punishment. Miles could not come to understand the reason behind why the Colonel took the fall for him, as out of the entire bunch, the Colonel had the most to lose. If anything, the Colonel had both his ambitions at stake, but his loyal nature came above his ambitions at that moment, portraying the Colonel’s ultimate loyalty towards his friends. The Colonel’s sense of loyalty once again surfaced when Alaska rushed into Room 43 and begged the Colonel and Miles to help her to escape. It can be argued that in the moment, the Colonel internally hesitated for a quick second about her safety and well-being, but eventually let her go just for the sake of it and carried out his decoy mission in support of her. Alaska’s escape turned out for the worse, and the Colonel couldn’t handle all the guilt that built inside of himself. Despite of this, he still did not rat when the Eagle (Mr. Starnes) asked the Colonel if he was responsible for setting off the firecrackers that night. Regardless of how severe the consequences of his actions were, the Colonel could never betray his own sense of loyalty.

On a separate note, the Colonel’s loyal nature was also evident in his relationship with Sara. It was without a doubt that the relationship between the two individuals was not a smooth ride, however, in spite of this, the two remained together. The Colonel once confessed, “’I guess I stay with her because she stays with me. And that’s not an easy thing to do. I’m a bad boyfriend. She’s a bad girlfriend. We deserve each other’” (38). It is arguable that the Colonel stays in the relationship to remain loyal to Sara in the same way that Sara stays with him, portraying her loyalty towards him in return. Moreover, after witnessing first-handedly the end of his parents’ relationship, the Colonel did not want to see a repeat of the same fate in his own life. To keep the relationship together, he had ignored all the issues that were going on between the two. Unfortunately, the relationship between the Colonel and Sara eventually came to an end. Despite of this, the Colonel remained loyal to Sara in the way that he did not mentally prepare to enter another relationship any time soon.

There was another example of the Colonel’s loyalty that I wanted to include into this character analysis, although it may seem irrelevant to some readers. The above examples that I have provided, exemplified the Colonel’s loyalty towards animate beings, however, the Colonel also demonstrates his loyalty to an inanimate object throughout the novel. It may be the result of the Colonel’s past, but he learns to appreciate the value of everything despite its physical appearance. At the beginning of the novel, the Colonel introduced Miles to his couch that, “was about 30 percent baby blue faux leather and 70 percent foam” (12), but still considered it to be “’a damn nice couch’” (12). It is arguable that the couch is a representation of the Colonel’s rough past, which is why he didn’t discriminate against it when he first saw it. Later on in the novel, the couch nearly became 100% foam and Alaska reminded him that he needed a new couch, but the Colonel completely ignored Alaska’s suggestion. He never once complained about the couch, but instead, appreciated it, which ultimately portrayed his loyalty towards the couch.

In the past, the Colonel was an individual that could only stand off to the side and watch as time passed by, but throughout the novel, he became someone completely different. According to Alaska, without Culver Creek in the Colonel’s life, he would only be intelligent and nothing else. His intelligence would only be contained within himself, and wouldn’t be put to any use. In the end, Culver Creek proved to be the place that allowed the Colonel to strive for his dreams, and the disgusting last impression that his father left him with, fueled his drive to surpass his father.

Note: Now that we’ve read to the end of “Looking for Alaska”, are there any questions that you have about the book? Well, you’re just in luck! John Green has a webpage that is entirely dedicated to answering questions about the book! Check out the Q&A below (but beware of spoilers!):

http://johngreenbooks.com/alaska-questions/

Escaping His Labyrinth

“Before I got here, I thought for a long time that the way out of the labyrinth was to pretend that it did not exist, to build a small, self-sufficient world in the back corner of the endless maze and to pretend I was not lost, but home.”

Throughout the novel, Looking for Alaska, the author, John Green, repeatedly refers to the concept of a labyrinth. The way in which he presents it, inevitably allows for controversy. At the beginning of the novel, it was a debate between whether the labyrinth was living or dying, but after a turn of events, the labyrinth became associated with suffering. In my opinion, the labyrinth was an obstacle each character had to overcome; the struggles that each individual had to deal with, in order to see better days yet to come. Miles Halter, better known to us as “Pudge”, was a teenage boy who was deeply conflicted with himself prior to his arrival at Culver Creek. He was a boy who lacked social skills, friends, and a sense of belonging in general and that proved to be his own labyrinth. He did not have expectations of anyone at his school in Florida to do anything for him, let alone attend his farewell party. On the contrary, Pudge never wanted himself to be bothered by his lack of friends, and began to search for his own hobby to keep himself busy. He resorted to reading the biographies in the house and learned the dying declarations (last words) of famous individuals. At that point in time, having his hobby sufficed as he did not need anything else, or at least he thought. He gave himself no reason to bother with his personal labyrinth, and as a result, he ignored it completely. It wasn’t until one day that he read the dying words of Francois Rabelais, “I go to seek a Great Perhaps,” (5) that he picked up his courage, and realized it was time to begin his journey through the endless maze, in hopes of seeing the light at the other end, where he would one day find his own Great Perhaps.

Pudge once thought that home was in Florida, but he soon realized after arriving at boarding school, that Culver Creek was truly his home. In my opinion, home is not necessarily where an individual grows up, but rather, a place in which an individual feels comfortable. Before arriving at Culver Creek, his mother warned him to not hang around the wrong crowd, which Pudge once questioned whether or not the Colonel, Alaska, and Takumi were his mother’s definition of the “wrong crowd”. Pudge quickly dismissed that idea because regardless of whether or not his new friends smoked or drank alcohol, and despite the possibility that they might have been the “wrong crowd” in his mother’s eyes, it was just the right crowd for him. He had finally found his home, a place in which he had felt utterly comfortable. Pudge had a way of fitting in with his new friends, in which he had been unable to fit in at his old school in Florida. They each shared something in common; each of them had their own talents. Pudge’s hobby of memorizing dying declarations had proved to be worthy of recognition. He had finally been able to rid of his social awkwardness for the better, allowing him to express his true self.

Although Pudge found himself a comfortable place at Culver Creek, he was still far from escaping his personal labyrinth with the occurrence of Alaska’s death. He realized that the way out of his own labyrinth was never as simple as finding a place to call home or to find friends, it was something of greater importance and required more insight to discover. Pudge eventually discovered his own way of escaping his labyrinth, through the lessons he learned from his World Religions class. Through the introduction of the Islamic, Buddhist, and Christian faiths into his life, he was now able to look upon life, death, and suffering through different lenses. With his newly gained knowledge, he came to a greater understanding of how to finally escape the labyrinth. Looking upon Alaska’s death as an example, he realized that Alaska never came to the realization that she couldn’t escape her inner guilt because she lacked forgiveness  not only from her mother, but from herself as well. As a result, she died “straight and fast”. In his final World Religions essay, Pudge reflected upon the significance of forgiveness in escaping the labyrinth and expressed that even in the absence of Alaska, he would still be able to discover his Great Perhaps one day. He was finally free from his labyrinth. 

Looking for Alaska: Controversial Questions

1. At Culver Creek, the rule of “no ratting” goes both spoken and unspoken at times but remains valid at all times. What ideas justify the greater importance to remain silent  than to expose injustice?
2. What is the effect of forgiving on one’s ability to continue living his/her life?
3. Throughout the novel, Looking for Alaska, written by John Green, there was a quite a bit of emphasis placed on Dr. Hyde’s world religions class. How does the introduction of the three religions into the central character’s life ultimately contribute to the resolution of his/her inner struggles?

The Namesake: Trains (Symbol Analysis)

Throughout the novel, The Namesake, trains were revealed as one of the major symbols present in the book. A train ride may simply only represent a journey, from one destination to another, but in the case of the Ganguli family, it represents character growth and development from one stage in life to another.

There were countless incidents throughout the novel that occurred on the train that in the end, ultimately contributed to the development of the individuals within the Ganguli family.

The first major incident that took place on a train would’ve been on the tragic day that Ashoke happened to be on the train to visit his grandfather. It was on that tragic, yet coincidental day that had allowed Ashoke to meet Ghosh, the man who implanted ideas of exploring the world into his mind. It was as the result of the train wreck that caused Ashoke to realize that life is unpredictable, and that he should take his chances while he is still young to venture off to America in pursuit of a better life. The train wreck was looked upon as a tragic incident at first, but by the end of the ride, it became the source of Ashoke’s ambitions that triggered the development of the rest of the story.

Since her arrival in Cambridge, Ashima possessed a distasteful outlook on America as a whole, however, this perception of America soon changed after a train ride. There was a day in which Ashima was riding the train, and had accidentally forgotten her shopping bags on the train while she was getting off the train. Although to her complete surprise, a fellow American called out to her and essentially returned the shopping bags in which she would’ve otherwise lost forever. Ashima realizes that back home in Calcutta; no one would perform such a kind gesture, and began to alter her previous views on Americans, and on the country as a whole. It is the first time in the novel that the readers witness Ashima beginning to adapt to the foreign environment.

It was once again on the train that Gogol encounters Ruth for the first time. The relationship between Ruth and Gogol that formed on the train symbolized one of Gogol’s rebellious acts in defiance of his cultural heritage. His first girlfriend, who was American, went against the ideals of the Bengali culture, but Gogol was completely unaffected. In contrast, he was more than happy to be apart from his cultural ideals. It was ultimately this relationship that triggered Gogol’s chain of relationships with American women that taught him in the end that he will never be able to escape from his cultural roots.

On the day that Gogol was aboard the train home to celebrate Thanksgiving, a suicide had taken place. Gogol relied this story on to his father, who then decided that it was time to inform Gogol about his past, and the origin of Gogol’s name. It was during this moment that Gogol finally developed a sense of understanding towards his father, which also in turn, caused him to feel deep regret for changing his name to Nikhil. This incident led Gogol to reflect upon his actions as of yet, and allowed him to begin piecing his true identity together.

Nearing the end of the novel, Gogol recalls the Christmas train ride a year ago. It was the exact date in which he learned of Moushumi’s affair with Dimitri. The incident made Gogol fully aware of how unhappy both he and Moushumi were in the relationship and allowed him to essentially determine what he does not desire in a partner. Gogol learns from this experience in the way that in a year’s time, he no long resents Moushumi for her unfaithfulness to him. After a year, Gogol also learns to alter the way in which he perceives his train rides back to Pemberton Road. The trips home did not have much significance to him in his earlier life, but at this point in time, the train serves as a connection between Gogol and his dearest family and cultural roots.

In my opinion, a train ride illustrates a journey through life which encompasses a starting point, an end point, and a series of unpredictable bumps along the way that help to develop each and every individual. Each individual begins a journey with uncertainty, and an undefined identity, but it is necessary for every one of those individuals to experience countless numbers of life-changing moments in order to truly define themselves.

A Time for Growth

“In so many ways, his family’s life feels like a string of accidents, unforeseen, unintended, one incident begetting another.”

If you have already read through the novel, The Namesake, written by Jhumpa Lahiri, this quotation essentially sums up most of the plot for us. There are many incidents that occur throughout a lifetime, and for some individuals, all of these incidents may seem to be tragic, but eventually it contributes to the growth of each and every individual that has been affected by the incident. However, at the time in which the incident occurs, every individual just wants to ask, “How could this happen to me?” Throughout the novel, the Ganguli family are the ones hit the hardest with a series of unfortunate events.

It all began with Gogol’s father, Ashoke, who boarded a train early in his life to visit his grandfather. It was during that time that Ashoke was able to meet Ghosh, the person who implanted the idea of traveling outside of India in his mind. After a near-death encounter as a result of the train wreck, Ashoke took his chances and moved to America with his newly wedded wife, Ashima. Followed by this incident, was the disappearance of the letter that contained names for the couple’s newly born baby, which led to the birth of Gogol’s name; a pet name that was only to be used by his closest family and peers. The naming of Gogol offset his rebellious acts; rejecting his cultural heritage, and evidently, added to his confusion relating to his identity. Many years later, in the absence of all his family members, Ashoke’s death took a drastic toll on the entire Ganguli family. After this difficult time, Gogol specifically, was unfortunately married off to Moushumi, who turned out to be an unfaithful woman. These tragic events have enabled each member of the Ganguli family to be who they are as individuals today.

Ghosh, a person whom Ashoke has only encountered once in his entire life, was able to help Ashoke develop a sense of ambition that he would have never had in Ghosh’s absence. After being given a second chance at life, Ashoke would have regretted not leaving India, in pursuit of a different life in America. The tragic, yet coincidental train-wreck allowed Ashoke to go beyond his comfort zone in order to achieve his dream. Gogol was rebellious in his younger years because he lacked the knowledge about the origin of his name. However, after learning of the significance behind his name, he was able to develop a closer bond to his father because for once in his life, he was regretful for changing his name to Nikhil. Ashoke once told Gogol that he reminds him of everything that has happened after the train wreck, in contrast to the train wreck itself. This is the moment in time in which Ashoke tries to convey the message to Gogol that he has never resented him for anything he has done, but rather, would like to mend the relationship between the two of them.

The greatest tragedy in the entire novel, would have been Ashoke’s sudden death. The unforeseen event had caused Gogol to come to the realization that his family needed his presence. It eventually causes Gogol to return to his family, but more precisely, to his cultural roots in which he has been rejecting all along. Ashoke’s death also brought the Ganguli family together, in the sense that Sonia had also returned to live with her mother in hopes of being able to support Ashima. In Ashima’s case, she was able to learn to live up to her name, to be without borders. Earlier on in the novel, Ashima was heavily dependent on her husband, and was unwilling to leave the house. However, Ashima learns to become independent; she works at the library to make a living for herself and she makes the decision to sell off the house on Pemberton Road in the end. Lastly, Gogol’s marriage with Moushumi taught Gogol a lesson on immorality and unfaithfulness and how unfavourable it is. He doesn’t discover what he wants in a partner, but rather, what he doesn’t want in a partner. All in all, every tragic event that has occurred in the novel has ultimately shaped each member of the Ganguli family for the better.

The Namesake: Controversial Questions

While I was reading through the novel, The Namesake written by Jhumpa Lahiri, there were many instances in which I had incomplete questions that I would formulate in my mind and would not be able to convey them properly. I have featured below, three of the questions       that I have attempted to properly phrase in order to provoke some thought in the readers of    my blog. 🙂

1. What is the relationship between a child’s upbringing and the acceptance of his/her cultural heritage?
2. To what extent does one’s name contribute to the development of one’s identity?
   

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3. How is the arrangement of a marriage related to the success/failure of the marriage?
   

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