IRP Post 2 - Cited Passage

"Later-after six bodies had been located, after a search for two others had been abandoned, after surgeons had amputates the gangrenous right hand of my teammate Beck Weathers-people would ask why, if the weather had begun to deteriorate, had the climbers on the upper mountain not heeded the signs? Why did veteran Himalayan guides keep moving upward, ushering the gaggle of relatively inexperienced amateurs-each of whom had paid as much as $65,000 to be taken safely up Everest-into an apparent death trap?" (Krakauer 5).

-This is an important quote in the book because it brings up many questions and hits key points. First of all this brings up many key themes already in this book. A theme that comes to mind is, sometimes when you are faced with the greatest obstacle known to man all you can do is forget about the money and resources you have put toward the journey and just push through. For many of the people climbing money is not the object, the feeling at the top and knowing that you have done what few have is better than anything else. A key symbol that can be picked up from this passage is storms, signifying death and destruction (at least up to this point). A couple key people that we meet in this first section are Jon Krakauer who witnessed and wrote about all of the horor of this expedition, Rob Hall who is the head guide, and Andy Harris who helps guide alongside Rob. All three of these men play important roles of leadership and courageousness in this first section.