Read part one of this post.
To understand the death, first you have to understand the girl. This beautiful, mysterious girl, with undeniable issues, but – in my slightly less than expert opinion – she wasn’t someone who would have committed suicide.
The only way out of the labyrinth of suffering is to forgive. Alaska’s labyrinth consumed her because she couldn’t forgive herself for allowing her mother’s death to occur. She admired and valued loyalty greatly, and, if she was willing to drive to her mother’s grave in the middle of the night just so she could make it there on time to be there for the anniversary, then I don’t believe she would end her life without taking the time to say goodbye to her mum.
When the Old Man (their RS teacher) kicked Pudge out of the class because she was staring out of the window. Alaska stood up for him, and walked from the class after him and was appalled when the others didn’t follow suit. After Pudge was duct taped and thrown into the lake, she was furious (after she realised they went further than the usual, run of the mill un-duct taped lake swim) and she was “pissed” about it, and told Pudge “They’ll regret it.” She was a troublemaker, but she didn’t want to upset her father – possibly because that would mean she’d have to go home, something she wanted to avoid, since she was “scared of ghosts… And home’s full of them.”
She had a life plan. She had dreams and adventures she wanted to go on, books she wanted to read. Despite speaking of death often, she didn’t talk about suicide. And, on page 65, Pudge says “What the car lacked in speed, Alaska made up for by refusing to remove her foot from the accelerator, damn the consequences.” At the time of her death, she was incredibly drunk, desperate and distraught. It’s entirely possible that she saw the car, she knew it was there, and she thought she could make it. She thought she could fit her car through the gap, and that she would make it to the her mother’s graveside in time. Alaska’s desperation may have also made her drive faster than usual, and it was already made known that the relationship between Alaska and the brake system on her car was, at best, a haphazard one.
It was an undoubtedly tragic accident, but it was just that: an accident. Never once did she speak of suicide, and there wasn’t a note, or plans left in her room. She believed she was invincible, and lived her life at about a hundred miles per hour, so it’s not something hard to believe, once you’ve met and understood the girl, that she assumed she could make it through the gap, or that the car will have moved by the time she got there? There’s so many different things that could have run through her head in those final moments, but suicide wouldn’t have been one of them.
Alaska was a hurricane. Larger than life, reckless and strong. For her, ending her own life wouldn’t have been an option. She would have wanted to live a life her mother might have envied. She wanted to know that, if her mother was watching from the sky (or, once again, whatever you believe in) she would have smiled because despite her loss, that hole in her heart, Alaska’s mum would have been proud because loss didn’t stop her beautiful child. If anything, it made her. It made her live in a perpetual state of motion, made her reckless and fearless and strong.
Killing herself wouldn’t have made Alaska think her mother was proud. If anything, it would have made the opposite effect. Her mother may have blamed herself – if she was watching from beyond the grave – for the destruction of her daughter, something Alaska wouldn’t have wanted to happen.
She told Pudge “This is so fun, but I’m so sleepy. To be continued.” Admittedly, this was before she spoke to Jake, but she wasn’t planning on dying. She planned on picking up where they left off, with their cigarettes, and the pink wine and the pranks.
This is why I, personally, believe that Alaska Young’s death is an accident. Comment your opinions, and I hope you enjoy. My friend’s side of the argument should be posted soon, and I’ll look forward to seeing who’s argument wins.
Happy reading!
