Analysis Of Into Thin Air By Jon Krakauer

Before we perish we want to be remembered for something; that something differs from person to person, what is the common denominator do our lives share? Each one of our lives are defined by moments, and those moments differ from person to person. For Jon Krakauer, his life defining moment was on Mount Everest, which he describes in his bestseller Into Thin Air. Krakauer and the climbers with him proved that the human body can survive in condition worse than most people believe to be possible, but the climbers also showed that without certain equipment the climbers could not make it to the summit. Those technologies include special clothes that protect their bodies against the frigid temperatures, climbing equipment and even supplemental oxygen

HAPE is a high altitude sickness that is characterized by delirious actions, coughing up blood, having a lot of fluid in the lungs which poses a serious threat to one’s life (Krakauer 113). HAPE is a great example of how fragile the human body actually is because without acclimatizing long enough or ascending too fast, the climbers’ bodies will begin to shut down from lack of oxygen. HACE is similar in the fact that it is caused by not properly acclimatizing and HACE has virtually the same symptoms as HAPE but HACE is characterized by fluid around the brain which also poses another life threatening illness if not taken care of quickly. The only way to effectively cure HAPE or HACE is to use technology and move the climber farther down the mountain where there is more oxygen. Krakauer mentions the process of curing HAPE and HACE as Ngawang fights for his life. Krakauer says that Dr. Mackenzie told the other doctors to give Ngawang acetazolamide, dexamethasone, and sublingual nifedipine to help stabilize his condition (Krakauer 113). After the drugs fail to work, Ngawang was placed on supplemental oxygen, which is oxygen in a tank that helps prevent oxygen sickness, and placed in a Gamow Bag, which is designed to create atmospheric pressure

That inclination drives humans to desire feats that the human body cannot survive without the assistance of technology. Robert Sapolsky, in his article Super Humanity, says that “it is our nature to be unconstrained by our nature” (Sapolsky). Sapolsky in a simpler sense is trying to say that we want to accomplish feats that seem impossible by nature. Those feats for the normal human being are in fact not achievable but like Salpolsky said humans find a way to escape the confines of our limitations through technology that is created. The climbers are no different. They depended their lives on certain equipment. Such equipment included oxygen tanks, which helps get oxygen throughout the body when there is very little oxygen in the atmosphere due to the altitude the climbers were at. These tanks proved to be an important factor in the book while the climbers climbed because as the climbers climbed higher they began to become light headed, which affects the decision making ability of a climber. When a climber’s ability to make good and rational decisions decreases so does the chance of survival decrease, especially when every step could be your last. Rope is another important piece of equipment that keeps the climbers from falling to their death. While climbing the climbers attach themselves to guidewires to prevent climbers from wandering off the side of the mountain as well as point