Into Thin Air Analysis

Krakauer uses what some may argue is “excessive” detail throughout this nonfiction work; however, this means he never leaves the reader guessing on the details. Into Thin Air originally started out as an article written by Krakauer for Outside Magazine, but he felt he could not accurately write an article that truly displayed what transpired on May 10th with such a limited space and an approaching deadline. Krakauer wrote an article that was highly inaccurate and caused the anger of many of his fellow climbers, and the families of those who perished on the mountain. Krakauer took it upon himself to extend his article into a large nonfiction book, which he interviewed those who were on the mountain for, to make sure he could portray the events of May 10th as accurately as possible. With a total of twelve fatalities, he could not interview everyone and there are critics who claim Krakauer does not know what he is talking about, therefore should not write about it, but Krakauer felt the urge to warn everyone of the hazards that come with climbing Everest and attempt to rid himself of his survivor’s guilt was stronger than the voices of those

Here, it is highly recommended to to use supplemental oxygen at this altitude, because the less oxygen you have, the more your brain cells die off. This means that you do not think as well and you cannot perform your best, which could mean life or death in this situation. The climax of the novel is when the team reaches their goal of making their way to the summit on May 10, 1996. The guide, Rob Hall, told the team before the climb that they had to be at the summit no later than two o’clock, and if you are not there by then, they must turn back. Around two o’clock, a massive storm begins to close in. The team must make it down to the lower camos soon or else it will be almost impossible for any of them to get back alive. Some of the climbers have not made it to to summit yet and go against Rob Hall’s judgement, and go the rest of the way themselves. Unfortunately, Jon Krakauer , Rob Hall, and all the other climbers get caught up in the storm. Jon Krakauer by a miracle gets down to the lower level camps and he has been out of supplemental oxygen for a while now. He stumbles upon one of the climbers of his team. His name is Beck Weathers. Beck eventually gets to a camp and they finally get him to the doctors at the Base Camp. When he gets to the doctors, the doctors say that he has the worst frostbite that they have ever seen.

Everest. When the author climbed up the mountain, he wrote that he “slogged steadily up the glacier” (line 8). The letter “s” in “slogged steadily” is an example of alliteration. Through alliteration, Krakauer informs that the climbing is gradual and exhausting as he had to “slog steadily” to reach the destination. Going up “slogged” already refers to Krakauer's hard effort, but adding another word starting with the same letter emphasizes the point once again. This describes one disadvantage. The author highlights another disadvantage as he states the force from the malicious altitude makes him feel as if “afflicted by a raging red-wine hangover” (line 20). The “raging red-wine” is another alliteration that emphasizes the intensity of the atmosphere in Camp Two. Through the representation of the author having an intense hangover, readers are informed how tough climbing Mt. Everest is. The toughness also reveals the theme as hikers encounter value conflicts. Hikers are required to be physically capable, and to face severe hangovers. Since the climb constantly challenges the hikers’ limit, hikers are continuously forced to choose to give up or to keep climbing. The exhaustion and pain nature gives pressures the hikers’ value of strong-will as the severe environment provides hikers with the desire to rest and give up. In other words, the high demand of Mt. Everest makes hikers, including Krakauer,

In order to continue climbing Everest, many aspects of climbing need to be improved before more people endanger their lives to try and reach the roof of the world. The guides have some areas that need the most reform. During the ascension of Everest the guides made a plethora mistakes that seemed insignificant but only aided in disaster. The guides first mistake is allowing “any bloody idiot [with enough determination] up” Everest (Krakauer 153). By allowing “any bloody idiot” with no climbing experience to try and climb the most challenging mountain in the world, the guides are almost inviting trouble. Having inexperienced climbers decreases the trust a climbing team has in one another, causing an individual approach to climbing the mountain and more reliance on the guides. While this approach appears fine, this fault is seen in addition to another in Scott Fischer’s expedition Mountain Madness. Due to the carefree manner in which the expedition was run, “clients [moved] up and down the mountain independently during the acclimation period, [Fischer] had to make a number of hurried, unplanned excursions between Base Camp and the upper camps when several clients experienced problems and needed to be escorted down,” (154). Two problems present in the Mountain Madness expedition were seen before the summit push: the allowance of inexperienced climbers and an unplanned climbing regime. A third problem that aided disaster was the difference in opinion in regards to the responsibilities of a guide on Everest. One guide “went down alone many hours ahead of the clients” and went “without supplemental oxygen” (318). These three major issues: allowing anyone up the mountain, not having a plan to climb Everest and differences in opinion. All contributed to the disaster on Everest in

Into Thin Air is a spectacular novel written by the well-celebrated author Jon Krakauer from his true experience. This account on the 1996 Everest tragedy is described through Krakauer’s perspective as events leading up to the tragedy unravels around him. Due to his hysteric state on everest, Krakauer later took much time and effort into interviewing

You wouldn't believe that two of the best climbing guides on Mount Everest could be so different. Both guides are brilliant men clever in the ways of climbing, but with two personalities both on either end of the spectrum. One guide is logical and organized when planning any climb while the other approaches things haphazardly leaving plans in disarray. The two guides, Rob Hall and Scott Fischer, from Jon Krakauer's book Into Thin Air, exhibit these two personalities throughout the progression of the book. Rob Hall is the organized guide who always plans ahead while Scott Fischer is rash and spontaneous. One could also claim that because of Rob Hall's expert planning skills, his responsible nature, and his abilities and experience with

Jon Krakauer’s Into Thin Air has many people making life-or-death decisions in a matter of minutes. In the midst of a disaster, many people will make decisions that are illogical.

Krakauer vividly describes the entire expedition, and he does not hold back from the gruesome details. In chapter five on page 62, Andy Harris is described “violently discharging the contents of his gastrointestinal tract”; while there is nothing glorious about this description, the imagery provided is captivating and memorable. Everest being a place that most people have not been and probably will not go, Krakauer’s descriptions of the mountain at different times are essential to the progression of the story and the attention of the reader. In chapter nineteen, Krakauer paints a picture of a “jagged horizon” and the “coronalike glow that flickered and pulsed” (page 257), providing a stronger sense of the environment. Overall, the imagery in Into Thin Air strongly depicts the expedition in an enthralling

While Krakauer begins to discuss these people, he describes them as "with whom I'd laughed and vomited and held long, intimate discussions with" (283). Through parallel syntax, Krakauer displays the stark contrast between the activities that the climbers had experienced on Everest. By the three very different things being compared as equally valuable experiences to have had, it demonstrates the difficult nature of the journey and how even unpleasant or intimate things brought the group of strangers closer

Vulnerability impacts any individual throughout each new and interactive experience. To become vulnerable is to open up to the consequences of frantic outcomes. Individuals will lead to vulnerability to cope with a trauma that has created a solemn change to a lifestyle. Jon Krakauer explains how the trauma of Mt. Everest changed his outlooks on reality, through different coping mechanisms. Krakauer uses his writing in his book, Into Thin Air, to cope with the guilt of surviving the terror that occurred upon Mt. Everest, as well as to understand what actions caused each outcome. Within an excerpt from Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer is reflective towards his audience of how vulnerability shaped the experiences upon Mt. Everest to cope with the

Jon Krakauer’s group, on April 16th, began their 2nd acclimatization starting from base camp and climbing up too camp one. Hall, the group leader decided that he would like the climbers to stay at camp one for two nights, camp two for one night, then after that, go back to the base camp. The next morning they left for camp two, which is about four miles above where they were at camp one. On his way up, Krakauer sees a dead body. The dead body stuns him for a little while but then he continues on up the mountain towards camp two. The group makes it up to base two. The altitude greatly affected Krakauer he mentioned how all that he could do was rest in his tent with his head in his hands. The next day, after feeling a little nit better, climbs a little higher than camp two to work more on his acclimatization. While on his climb he comes across another dead body but this one does not affect him as greatly as the previous one. Jon’s group began to climb; the wind chill was forty degrees below zero. Jon, before he left, expected the sun to heat him up so he underdressed and then during the hike, became too cold to continue as his hands and feet were completely numb. Everyone from Jon’s group, except for Doug who is injured, make their next attempt to reach camp three. Jon Krakauer makes it to camp three, finally. Camp three is about one mile, vertically, below the summit of Mt. Everest. Jon’s group then descends down to the base camp again. Every on in his group is physically

When he originally meets Beck Weathers, Krakauer believes he is but another client obsessed with climbing. Although during the whole of the trek, Weather displays immense determination, and bravery that convinces the journalist and the other climbers to think otherwise. As he climbs to higher elevations, the pressure and a previous faulty eye surgery cause Weathers to lose his eyesight (). Unyielding, Weathers still believes he is apt and wishes to climb to the top. Although, his group leader, Rob Hall, thinks differently. He leaves the doctor and has him wait for the group to return to him (). Hours later, he is taken in by another group, led by Mike Groom, however they get caught in the blizzard. Leaving Weathers stranded, inches away from

He was concerned about the others and decided to descend. On his way down he ran into a few friends that were ascending and he noticed that they looked alright, except Scott Fischer who looked “tired and laboring” (Boukreev 2). He had suspected that Fischer was running out of oxygen, so he wanted to get down to camp IV to restock himself and get more oxygen tanks for those who might be in need. He felt confident and comfortable with his decision. As to making his decision Mr. Krakauer had rose the question of him climbing without oxygen he stated that “perhaps my effectiveness was compromised by that decision” (Boukreev 2). Boukreev had been training himself throughout the years as explained above about climbing without oxygen and Krakauer was claiming that, by him doing that he could make this worse or dangerous. Boukreev believes it is safer for him to climb the mountain without the oxygen as he stated “I have of my own capacities have always made me comfortable with this choice” (Boukreev 3). Also Mr. Krakauer had rose another question on how he was dressed for the journey, that he was not wearing the right clothing or had the items for it. Though there is a picture that shows how Boukreev was dressed and he was well geared and clothed for the trip. Ultimately, what Boukreev

Anatoli’s absence affected Fischer’s team by leaving Fischer on the mountain stranded and cold. Fischer was too weak and cold to move and the mountain was getting colder and colder by the second. He was running out of oxygen, and he removed his mask, even though he was using supplemental oxygen for the climb. At about 4:00pm everyone except hall leaves the summit. At the time Doug Hansen arrives at the top. For a little while Hall and Hansen spend a few minutes at the top then begin their descent with lopsang. Lopsang left them both at the top of the Hillary Step, hurrying to catch up with Fischer. Right after Lopsang left, Hansen runs out of oxygen, being exhausted he used up all his strength to reach the top. Hall tried to radio for help

On May 10, 1996 six people died trying to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. These people were parts of two expeditions that were in the Himalayas, preparing to ascend the summit for six weeks. The first group was under the direction of Rob Hall, who had put 39 paying clients on the summit in five years. Hall was considered the leader of the mountain and the man to see no matter what the discrepancy. Group two, headed by Fisher, who like Hall, was trying to start a profitable business in providing the experience of climbing Mt. Everest to all for the price of 60 to 70 thousand dollars. Unfortunatly, neither man would live to tell the tale of this expedition.