Looking For Alaska: Most Intelligent Characters, Ranked

Intelligence is a tricky thing. People are unique. Some characters are intelligent in the way of literature and life experiences while others are logical or strategic, spiritually, technological, or emotionally intelligent. In Looking For Alaska, John Green’s characters are no exception.

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In a world of pranks, rivalries, and discovery, they shone with wit, but they also made many illogical, panicked, and emotionally immature choices despite their shared high intelligence.

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Sara

Sara let the rivalry between the Warriors and The Colonel win in the end. Her relationship with The Colonel was rocky and their tempers would often get the better of them.

They were aware that they weren’t well matched, with The Colonel saying he is a bad boyfriend and she’s a bad girlfriend and that they deserve each other. When the College applications prank goes badly, Sara still updates The Colonel about what the Warrior’s parents are going to do, despite the fact that they are no longer together.

The Eagle

Mr. Starnes, aka “The Eagle,” is a man who means well. He’s not the student body’s favorite educational figure, but he wants to be. He wants to be there for his students. He reflects on his efforts on the bus before Alaska’s funeral. He was well-intentioned in his desire to keep everyone safe and take responsibility, but his methods weren’t well received.

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He was more focused on the discovery and capture of perpetrators than helping change the system and understand his students. He grew a mustache for authority and paid more attention to his work than his relationship.

Lara Buterskaya

Lara is kind and compassionate. She has strength. She’s steadfast. She keeps her integrity even when she gets vomited on. She’s one of the more moral characters.

She lost many things when she moved to America and had to assume the role of a carer and parent. She isn’t afraid to ask for help.  She looked after Pudge, drove him to the hospital, and stayed with him the entire time. She helped look for The Colonel. She mourned the death of Alaska and when it came to the end, she wasn’t petty about Mile’s affections for her.

Miles “Pudge” Halter

Miles went to Culver Creek in search of his great perhaps. He’s a seeker, not in the Harry Potter sense, but in the sense of life. He wants to discover more. He’s aware of other people’s feelings and is the only one to ask Alaska if she’s struggling.

He’s inquisitive yet slightly foggy, blinded by his affections for Alaska but also by what is expected of him by the group, which causes him to turn his back on her. He’s studious. He knows a vast amount of people’s last words. At the start of the series, he is shown as a person who isn’t invested and who doesn’t act when he should. Near the end, he’s the one who discovers a possible truth about Alaska’s death which comforts him and The Colonel.

Alaska Young

Like Pudge, Alaska is a seeker. She’s a feminist. She’s independent. She’s well versed in literature. She wants justice for her friends. She’s a strong character whose demise is sudden and mysterious. She’s plagued by guilt over her mother’s death and the fault placed on her by her father.

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She’s haunted by what she should have done. She’s sensitive in her emotions. She was self-aware, yet reckless. In a moment of realization, her impulsivity, guilt, and panic took over when she forgot the death of her mother’s anniversary.

Jake

Jake is described by others as Alaska’s rock. He’s the most mature of the younger crowd. He’s steady, level-headed, kind, caring, book-smart, and musically inclined.

He loved Alaska and was devasted when she ended their relationship. He didn’t understand why she broke it off so suddenly and ignored him, and although he was given an idea, he wasn’t expecting it. He was the last person to talk to Alaska on the night of her death. He was intellectually akin to Alaska, but not emotionally. But for someone who was with her, he didn’t understand her.

Takumi Hikohito

When it comes to knowing things, Takumi is the guy to go to. He’s quick on his feet and essential for execution, as shown during the many pranks they pull. He’s loyal until he has proof of otherwise and gave Alaska the benefit of the doubt when he was approached about her being the rat. Although, he did take the ratting very seriously without knowing the full story.

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He’s one of the more rational of the group but can get careless and say rash things. He’s one of the first people to accept Alaska’s death and come to terms that it’s a mystery that will never be solved.

Chip “The Colonel” Martin

When it comes to studies and strategy, The Colonel is the one to name. He isn’t a stranger to hard work and knows hardship. He’s loyal and expects loyalty back. He’s determined yet stubborn. He takes himself too seriously at times and has a temper.

Although he had a complicated friendship with Alaska which involved him turning his back on her, he didn’t hesitate to help her when her life’s library was destroyed and when she came to the room in a panic. He also teamed up with Miles in the end so they could both find some kind of closure.

Dolores

She was only in the series for a short while but her wisdom and love made quite the impact. Dolores is a woman of faith and action. She made Alaska feel love and belonging as a part of her family.

She saw tension and sought to help alleviate the strains of the three youth in her company. She called out her son’s behavior toward his friend and how petty and hurtful he was behaving. She showed nothing but love when he came to her about his actions, enclosing him in her arms.

Dr. Hyde

Dr. Hyde was a strict yet calming presence in the series. He is older and considered a genius. He’s a listener. He found himself to be kindred spirits with Alaska, listening to her moments of doubt and giving her whatever assistance he could.

He’s aware of the questioning and the challenges his students are experiencing, and he too is an inquisitive mind. He wants his students to think about religion, morals, life, and death.

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