Comparing Pudge's Utilitarianism In Looking For Alaska

Next, when humans mask their problems and issues in life, things just get worse for one’s self. Pudge, Alaska and Colonel rely on alcohol to have fun in order to be happy. Pudge explains after the kids had pulled a prank on Kevin for bullying Pudge while opening a bottle of wine he wishes “to [enjoy] booze more than [he] actually [does]” (111). Pudge expresses how the taste of alcohol when he is drinking does not interest him and he wants to enjoy the taste of the wine he was drinking with Colonel. Pudge proves how the only thing he enjoys from drinking with his friends all the time is the feeling he gets when is drunk. The fact that Pudge and his other friends drink for the feeling they intake instead of the taste proves how they rely on the

Also, Alaska relies on smoking cigarettes to relieve her stress of the outside world. Alaska explains frequently through the novel her believing of the students at Culver Creek, “smoke to enjoy [it] but instead [she] [smokes] to die” (44). During a break while at school, Alaska, Pudge and Colonel were all having a cigarette in front of the river when Alaska explains her reasoning for continuing the poor habit of smoking. Since Alaska smokes to kill herself and relieve her stress, she uses cigarettes to mask her sadness and this proves how this character was not able to strive through her issues to succeed and rather she crashed and fell into bad habits which worsened things for her. In the end, Alaska smokes daily to relieve her stress and to try and eventually kill herself and Pudge drinks alcohol with his friends often, not because the alcohol tastes good but instead because he likes being drunk to let go of things and have fun.These characters use smoking and drinking to mask their problems in life and they quickly realize these habits will not benefit them in