A website inspired by the best-selling novel, Into Thin Air, by Jon Krakauer.
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Have you ever wondered what it would be like to climb Mount Everest?How would it feel to know that at over 8000-metres, you were standing on the roof of the world? What would it be like to breathe in oxygen-depleted air at the summit, knowing that with every breath you grow closer and closer to a pure state of hypoxia? And how would you behave being fully aware that in just a moment, this astonishingly beautiful mountain could turn against you and create a deadly war? These are all questions that are answered through the true stories of several characters and teammates in a breathtaking novel by Jon Krakauer. Into Thin Air is a first-hand account of the catastrophic expedition in 1996 that would lead to the deaths of 8 experienced climbers and go down as the deadliest season in Everest’s history. Preparing for the summit in May 1996 as a journalist for Outside magazine, Krakauer was unaware that over a period of just 24 hours time, he and his teammates would succumb to the unpredictable fury that is Mount Everest. The novel explores the unstable and unforeseeable nature of Everest that, despite its dangers, continues to mysteriously draw back thousands of people each year whom partake on a journey to the top of the world. The novel beautifully and widely builds on this theme that, as stated by the author himself, "Climbing is a magnificent activity, not in spite of the inherent perils, but precisely because of them," (p.89). Taking readers on a voyage from Base Camp to the terrors of the ‘Death Zone’, Into Thin Air delivers a remarkable story about poor judgment, tragedy, and heroism.
"To climb steep hills requires a slow pace at first," - William ShakespeareOne of the main themes stressed in Into Thin Air is that self-discipline and sound decision-making are two essential components that are critical to being a good climber. For example, Krakauer remarks of when he was at Camp Two and witnessed 29-year old Swedish soloist, Göran Kropp, decide to descend after being at an altitude of 28, 700 feet. At this altitude, he was no more than 60 minutes from the summit, but chose to turn around because of bad weather conditions. Rob Hall, Krakauer's expedition guide, remarked that this act "showed incredibly good judgment on young Göran's part. I'm impressed -considerably more impressed, actually, than if he'd continued climbing and made the top," (p. 153). Krakauer continually refers to this theme of self-discipline, and the ability of one to know their own limits. He struggles over the idea that he and his expeditions' reluctance to turn around, despite being off schedule and noticing signs of an incoming storm, may have been what caused the 1996 disaster. Shakespeare's quote, "To climb steep hills requires a slow pace at first," refers to a similar theme. Shakespeare is referring to the idea that self-discipline and patience are essential in being able to reach a goal, whether it be graduating from university or summiting Mount Everest. Into Thin Air displays that the desire to succeed can often overpower good judgment, leading to catastrophe. This is an idea that both Jon Krakauer and Shakespeare have portrayed through their writing.
Tone of the NovelInto Thin Air uses a variety of tone's to convey the most powerful message to its intended audience. Throughout the entire novel, Krakauer aims to be as factual as possible, while also inserting his own emotion and concerns. For example, when worried about his oxygen canister running out on his way to the summit, he writes: "At the South Summit I'd calculated that my second canister would expire around 2:00 P.M., which I'd stupidly assumed would allow plenty of time to reach the summit and return to the South Summit to retrieve my third oxygen bottle. But now it was already after 1:00, and I was beginning to have serious doubts," (p. 188). The author ensured that his facts (including the time's in which certain events took place) were as accurate as possible. He did so based on a fear of receiving criticism similar to what he originally received on his Outside article. He even states that "the Outside piece was as accurate as I could make it under the circumstances, but my deadline had been unforgiving, the sequence of the events had been frustratingly complex, and the memories of the survivors had been badly distorted by exhaustion, oxygen depletion, and shock," (p. 1).
Respect towards fellow climbers, guides, and Sherpa's is another tone that can be predominantly found in the novel. Being respectful was likely a major focus of Krakauer's, also due to a fear of criticism or offending others. Although many experts have criticized the 1996 Taiwanese expedition team for their poor efforts to help on Everest, Krakauer ensured to continue his tone of respect when referring to them. For example, he remarks that "the Taiwanese were by no means the only group [on the mountain] that seemed egregiously unqualified," (p.98). Intended AudienceThe intended audience of Into Thin Air is adults who are active and know at least a moderate amount about mountaineering. This is likely the intended audience based on the style of writing that the author chose to write with. Firstly, Krakauer uses complicated and long words, making it obvious that this is not a book directed towards children. For example, one quote from the book states: "But guiding Everest is a very loosely regulated business, administered by byzantine Third World bureaucracies spectacularly ill-equipped to assess qualifications of guides or clients," (p. 286). Secondly, it is obvious that the intended audience is likely familiar with mountaineering based on the way that the author describes his climbing journey on Everest. Although the novel includes lots of footnotes to help describe certain mountaineering terms, someone who is not familiar with climbing may feel a little confused at the details of this novel. For instance, at one point in the novel Krakauer states that he "picked up the bottom end of [the rope], attached [his] jumar to the slightly frayed line, and began to climb," (p. 128). Finally, Into Thin Air is likely targeting an active audience that is interested in adventure. Since the novel is a follow up to the Outside magazine article (Outside is an adventure magazine), and it is classified as a non-fiction, adventure book, most of the reader's are presumably active themselves, and therefore interested in adventure novels.
Please watch the following PBS trailer portraying the 1996 events.
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Mount Everest, also known as Sagamartha, is part of the Himalayan Mountain Range. Everest borders two countries: Nepal and China.
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