Go Ask Alice

The anonymous diarist (referred to as Alice in this guide) primarily serves to convey Beatrice Sparks’s cautionary tale about substance use while navigating more cliché conflicts of the bildungsroman genre. Alice frequently exhibits the emotional ups and downs common in adolescence, emphasizing her feelings by repeating her words in triplicate. Her interpersonal conflicts present Alice as representative of the girl-next-door trope, frightening readers into believing that substance use disorder can happen to anyone. While the controversy about the book’s authorship detracts from the diary’s authenticity, Alice develops all the story’s significant themes through her relationships and actions.

Early on, Alice uses her diary to establish The Need for Connection and Empathy in Adolescence as a theme. After arguing with her mother about her diet, Alice writes to her diary like a friend, exclaiming how lucky her diary is not to have parents: “That’s one thing, Diary, you don’t have to worry about, only me. And I guess you’re not very lucky at that, because I’m certainly no bargain” (9). Alice expresses her loneliness and isolation while feeling belittled by her parents and finds relief in recording her emotional distress.