There're no two ways about it: Setting foot on Everest is like playing a gigantic game of Russian roulette. Ominous stuff, huh? In Into Thin Air, we're given a first-hand account of the 1996 Everest disaster, an awful day that ends with eight climbers being killed during a freak storm. Some meet their ends suddenly; some keep fighting until they simply can't fight anymore; and some willingly sacrifice their lives in order to give others a fighting chance. Although it's a harrowing tale, Into Thin Air teaches us a great deal about how the human spirit reacts to the horrors of mortality.
Questions About Mortality
- How does Krakauer's relationship with death change over the course of the climb?
- Why is Krakauer so shaken by Andy Harris's death?
- In your opinion, why does Rob Hall refuse to leave Doug Hansen's side?
- It it wrong of the Japanese climbers to refuse to help the dying climbers? Explain.