Alaska's Smoking Habit = Suicide?

The main characters smoke cigarets as if it was a fountain of nutrition. This becomes a main "theme" in the book. The characters smoke when they are upset, happy, or just together having fun. It is an outlet for most of the kids - a way to channel their thoughts and emotions.

At one point in the story, Alaska says, "You smoke to enjoy it, I smoke to die" (Green 167). This posed a question for Pudge and The Colonel, after the death, because it made it seem as though the death was a suicide. However, there were also other traits that cause the death to appear as an accident.

The book never quite answers wether it was a suicide or accident - however I have my speculations. I am sure other people who have read the novel have different opinions. The ending is left up to interpretation which I thought was both good and annoying.