Jon Krakauer uses a very vivid way of describing the location and situation in the Himalayan Mountains. His list-like accounts make his book seem like a report card of the expedition. The paired with his use of imagery, choice of words and how he expresses his emotions all add to the intriguing, colloquial and respectful tone of Into Thin Air. To render mountain climbing and the “Everest experience” more comprehensible to his readers, Krakauer provides a plethora of background information that includes: explanations of the history of Everest and its early conquerors, climbing techniques, and logistical information regarding the climbers on his team as well as those from other expeditions. Krakauer weaves in these bits of information in his paragraphs and uses footnotes as well. Largely colloquial in tone, Krakauer relies heavily on imagery in order to accurately depict the Himalayas. He brings the realities of the expedition to life, sparing no descriptions of the feces and sickness that plague the various camps. Krakauer’s detailed descriptions of wind, snow and ice, help the reader create an image in a their head making them feel like they are a part of the group. His description of weather like “biting wind” (128), “swirling waves of powder snow” (129), and “blizzard inside the tent” (128), depict the intense levels of cold and also almost surreal images that Krakauer experienced.
Krakauer’s main strategy takes shape in his scheme that he uses to climax the drama that took place on the upper reaches of the mountain. As he chronicles his journey from India all the way to his return to base camp after summiting, Krakauer’s tone and diction reflects his evolving sentiments throughout his journey. For example, the tone of the early chapters is one of excitement and anxiety. In the beginning of the book, Kragauer was asked if he still wanted to summit the mountain. “When he asked if I was sure I wanted to go through with this, I said yes without even pausing to catch my breath” (28). His enthusiasm quickly fades into exhaustion and discomfort as he realizes the magnitude of the task before him. When Krakauer reaches the top he says, “Any impulse I might have felt toward self-congratulation was extinguished by overwhelming apprehension about the long, dangerous descent that lay ahead” (219). This quote presents Krakauer’s worries about a long dangerous climb down the mountain, which keeps the frightening mood of the book throughout and further foreshadows the danger of the expedition. By briefly documenting his summiting of Everest in chapter one, Krakauer sets an underlying sense of foreboding throughout the entire book that climaxes as the tragedy unfolds.
Plot Summery: In the book Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer described the events leading up to his eventual decision to participate in an Everest expedition in May 1996, despite having mostly given up mountain climbing years before. The original magazine story was to have Krakauer climb only to base camp, and report on the commercialization of the mountain. However, the idea of Everest reawakened his childhood desire for climbing the mountain. Krakauer asked his editor to put off the story for a year so that he could train for a climb to the summit. From there, the book chronologically moves between events that take place on the mountain and the unfolding tragedy which takes place during the push to the summit.After reaching the summit of Mt. Everest in the early afternoon of May 10, 1996, Jon Krakauer, began his long, dangerous descent. Six hours later and 3,000 feet lower, in 70-knot winds and blinding snow, Krakauer collapsed in his tent, freezing, hallucinating from exhaustion and hypoxia, but safe. The following morning, he learned that six of his fellow climbers hadn't made it back to their camp and were desperately struggling for their lives. Hall, Hansen and Fischer got stranded. They all end up dying, from either lack of oxygen or the cold. Fischer also gets stranded, and when he is finally found, he is dead. Beck Weathers, actually makes it back to camp and miraculously survives the ordeal. He eventually undergoes a number of amputation and surgeries for his injuries. All told, a dozen people die on Everest that season, and Krakauer, originally there to report on the business of taking people up the mountain, cannot forget what he sees there. Krakauer struggles with survivor's guilt and a redefined view on mortality and addresses questions about events on the mountain that perhaps don't have answers. Kayla Augustine
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