Was it necessary for Alaska to die?

I think that death is a major theme in this book. While we are not completely sure Alaska is dead, she certainly flirts with the idea. Pudge obsessively memorizes the last words of famous individuals, without even learning about their lives. He implicitly values the moment of death rather than the life of the individual in the same way that Alaska ‘smokes to die’ rather than enjoying the time she spends smoking with her friends. Death is one of the most prevalent themes throughout the novel and it presents itself in many forms: from Alaska’s apparent death to Pudge and his friends smoking cigarettes in the woods.