“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. 
├ Bonnie's Blog ┤ 
Great post Bonnie! I agree with most of your thoughts regarding the labyrinth and Pudge’s metaphorical journey through it. I agree that Pudge struggled with social skills and finding a sense of belonging. He used his hobby of finding last words and reading biographies to escape the obvious conflict that he needed to face, especially when deciding to find his “Great Perhaps”. As you mentioned, Pudge truly found his home at Culver Creek and his group of friends allowed him to be happy for a while. A good example of this is when he tells them that the day of the Barn Night prank was the best day of his life (115). Pudge also created a better sense of identity for himself and as time went on, became less passive.
That being said, I do disagree with you that he hadn’t escaped his personal labyrinth. You mentioned that “the way out of his labyrinth was never as simple as finding a place to call home or finding friends” but I believe that it can be. In my opinion, escaping the symbolic labyrinth simply means to overcome ones struggles, obtain what one desires and achieve happiness, which was exactly what Pudge was able to do. While this “escape” from his personal labyrinth may not have been as complex or insightful as his enlightenment after Alaska’s death, he was still able to escape his initial struggles of finding friends and a sense of belonging. I respect your opinion that Pudge remained in the labyrinth after Alaska’s death and did not escape until the end of the novel, however, in my perspective, Pudge simply entered a new labyrinth after Alaska’s death. He overcame one set of personal struggles and entered a different set. I believe that life is often like that; obstacles placed in one’s path to challenge him/her and then he/she overcoming them, only to face a new set of inevitable challenges. Although some struggles are more prominent than others, life is realistically not filled entirely of happiness and throughout a lifetime one will escape a labyrinth and move on to the next. The highs and lows of life can be reflected in the metaphorical entrance and exit of the “labyrinths”.
In addition, you mentioned that Pudge would find his “Great Perhaps “one day” but I believe he already found it. My interpretation of the Great Perhaps (it can certainly be interpreted differently by each reader) is not one event, or pinnacle to one’s life in which everything falls in to place. If this were the case, few would ever obtain it and would simply be chasing an unrealistic dream of complete greatness and perfection. Instead, I consider the Great Perhaps to be many small goals and their successes; any time one is able to overcome their struggles to achieve a sense of comfort or happiness. It is hope for an improved life, an unknown positive outcome. I like to see it as the “end of the labyrinth”. In this sense, Pudge achieved the Great Perhaps at Culver Creek by finding true friends etc. and will continue to strive for it every time he faces a new set of challenges.
I also agree that Pudge was able to escape his second labyrinth after Alaska’s death by learning about various religious perspectives and then formulating his own sense of closure and enlightenment . In contrast, Alaska was not able to find this closure with her own guilt for her mother and as result died “straight and fast” regardless of whether her death was an accident or suicide.
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Great job on the post Bonnie! I completely agree with you in the sense that the labyrinth is a fictional representation of one’s mental struggles. Though the labyrinth is a recurring motif in the novel, there is no physical maze. It is only a figment of imagination to help illustrate the internal sufferings within.
However, I have noticed the majority of your post speaks only with regard to Miles Halter’s character. The idea of internal struggles taking a toll on one’s mind is also seen in other characters of the novel. For example, Alaska Young had a very dark past which affected the severity of her labyrinth. It was much more darker and sinister in comparison to Miles’. She felt deep resentment to herself, as she had convinced herself she was the reason for her mother’s death. Like Miles, she tries to forget its existence. However, within a matter of time, it comes back to haunt her, leading her to her untimely death.
Additionally, you could also argue that The Colonel had his own personal labyrinth as well. He, like Alaska, had also a tragic past. He essentially grew up in poverty with his mother, and only had each other to survive. This would be his labyrinth. However, the difference between The Colonel and the other two characters is he did not pretend his problems did not exist. On the contrary, he used his weaknesses to his advantage, and strived for a better lifestyle. He is able to attend Culver Creek with a scholarship, and vows to become rich so he could properly take care of his mother. This just comes to show that personal labyrinth cannot be taken lightly, and in fact could lead to one’s success if not ignored.
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