______________________________________________________________ RJOE JOURNAL 125 Space, Emotion, and Adolescent Subjectivity in John Green’s Looking for Alaska ______________________________________________

The paper explores the relationship between physical environment and
emotional experience in John Green’s Looking for Alaska (2005), with a focus on
how institutional spaces shape adolescent subjectivity. The study is undertaken to
understand how contemporary Young Adult fiction represents emotions not as
isolated internal states, but as experiences closely connected to the spaces characters
inhabit. The novel is analysed through the lens of Affect Theory to examine how
emotions such as grief, guilt, and confusion emerge through interactions with the
boarding school environment. Additionally, Empathy Theory is applied to understand
how readers develop emotional connections with the protagonist’s journey. The scope
of the study is limited to the representation of emotional development within confined
institutional settings and their impact on character transformation. The paper argues
that physical space functions as an active force in shaping emotional experience and
reader engagement in Young Adult fiction.