Quote 28
And I almost said, She buried it in the woods out by the soccer field, but I realized that the Colonel didn't know, that she never took him to the edge of the woods and told him to dig for buried treasure, that she and I had shared that alone, and I kept it for myself like a keepsake, as if sharing the memory might lead to its dissipation. (7after.20)
Miles decides to keep a secret about Alaska. More than the memory, why might he want to share something with Alaska that no one else had? What does this reveal about the extent to which Miles has accepted the lies and deceit that are sometimes part and parcel of friendship?
Quote 29
He was quiet for a long time, and I looked down at Alaska's last daisy and waited for him to ask what the prank was, and I would have told him, but I just heard him breathe slowly into the phone, and then he said, "I won't even ask. Hmm." He sighed. "Swear to God you'll never tell your mother." (84after.13)
Deception isn't just confined to students at Culver Creek, and Miles asks his dad to play a pretty deceptive role in the Alaska Young Memorial Prank. How do lying and deception differ between the students at the Creek and the adults who lie in the novel? Why do both groups deceive others?
Quote 30
The hardest part about pranking, Alaska told me once, is not being able to confess. But I could confess on her behalf now. And as I slowly made my way out of the gym, I told anyone who would listen, "No. It wasn't us. It was Alaska." (102after.40)
Even when Miles is deceiving others about the memorial prank, in some ways he's telling the truth. The question though, is if other people will believe him or want to believe the deception he and his friends create. How do he and other characters come to terms with deception toward the end of the novel?