POST 3 Sophia Miller

As Into Thin Air winds to a close, the author uses a somber, honest, and reflective tone. The people in this book are real people, and he used the appropriate tone when talking about something as serious as their death. He tells of the great tragedies and overwhelming confusion that occurred on Everest that dreadful night. The author is looking back on all the events and recalling the fear, anguish, guilt, and delirium that took over his body. However, in the midst of all of these strong memories, he tries to understand the events to his best ability, and reflect on them in an utterly honest way. This is why we often find him fact-checking himself and using lines such as 'in truth,' and 'what actually happened.' He recalls his own dangerous mistake with this same somberly honest tone, as he describes how he mistook one man for another and ended causing confusion and upset. "For two months I'd been telling people that Harris has walked of the edge of the South Col to his death, when he hadn't done that at all... How had I made such an egregious mistake?" (p231). The author reflects on his mistake in an honest and regretful way. Throughout the many tragic moments of this book, he remembers that as well as a tragic book, this book is a true story, and getting too into emotions could do more harm than good. He tends to be more factual and less emotional about serious topics, such as the death of some of his teammates. "Twelve days later, when Breashears and Viesturs climbed over the South Summit on their way to the top, they found Hall lying on his right side in a shallow ice hollow, his upper body buried beneath a drift of snow" (p247). Like a reporter, he adds specific details and tends to make the book less personal. He does bring a more personal and somber tone in at some reflective points, talking about his interactions with fellow climbers and his feelings around the whole event. He describes the pain he felt when arriving safely back down the mountain, "I cried for my lost companions, I cried because I was grateful to be alive, I cried because I felt terrible for having survived while others had died” (279). Overall, the last third of the book is filled with honesty, remorse, and a reflection on the past. The author captures the events accurately, and intermittently disperses personal feelings and views. 

Although slightly factually overwhelming, I found Into Thin Air to be an interesting and overall well done book. Towards the start of the book, the author has a tendency to fill complete chapters with facts and facts about past events or people, some of which prove to play no further role as the story progresses. This can cause some confusion and feels a little overwhelming. However, as the heart of the tragedy begins and the story unfolds, the author does this less and less. He begins focusing on the real meat of the story and does an extremely factual yet somberly enthralling job of recounting the truth about what happened on Everest. For those who do not know the story, it is fascinating to read. It truly is a tale that puts the underestimated power of nature into perspective, and a caution that even when everything seems to be going perfectly, it can turn into a nightmare. It is humbling and enjoyable to read.