How we cite our quotes: (Daysbefore.Paragraph) and (daysafter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"What am I going to do?"
"You'll spend Thanksgiving with me, silly. Here." (58before.46-47)
Miles doesn't usually have to make his own choices—usually he's just a follower. And the way he makes and doesn't make choices plays a big part in what happens to Alaska and how he deals with it.
Quote #2
I wanted so badly to lie down next to her on the couch, to wrap my arms around her and sleep… But I lacked the courage and she had a boyfriend and I was gawky and she was gorgeous and I was hopelessly boring and she was endlessly fascinating. So I walked back to my room and collapsed on the bottom bunk, thinking that if people were rain, I was drizzle and she was a hurricane. (49before.32)
Miles clearly wants to mean more than he does to Alaska, and that is probably beyond his control. But he could make a bunch of different choices here, not just the two he mentions, and he chooses to leave. What's that say about him as a character?
Quote #3
I raised my arm as she collapsed into my skinny chest and cried. I felt bad for her, but she'd done it to herself. She didn't have to rat. (44before.22)
Miles is pretty aware of personal responsibility when it comes to other people—like Alaska—and pretty unaware of how he makes his own choices. Maybe this is because of his passive personality. How are passivity and choice related in Miles's character?