Tyler Bury
Lemersal
Honors American Lit
17 January 2017
Into Thin Air
Chapter 12 In this chapter we see struggle and tribulations rise among the climbers. They are tested by the dangers and obstacles of the Lhotse face. At this point it becomes clear which climbers are strong enough to make it to the summit and which ones may need to turn around. Krakauer strides to pass majority of the other climbers to avoid getting stuck in a crowd. The climbing teams reach the South Col where they will embark on their final ascent. Overnight a member of the South African team comes to Krakauer’s tent struck with serious illness. He is also dealing with hypothermia like many members of the team. Krakauer directs him to other members of the team for help.
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As Krakauer and other skilled team members climb farther up the mountain they encounter struggling members of other groups and the experienced Lopsang on the ground vomiting after enduring the climb with 80 pounds of equipment and aiding Pittman. This chapter can be classified as part of the rising action.
Response
This chapter shows Krakauer’s feeling of isolation from the rest of his team. At the beginning of the journey he was told it is essential to trust your teammates but gradually throughout their climb he has lost faith in that advice. Krakauer explains "I felt disconnected from the climbers around me—emotionally, spiritually, physically—to a degree I hadn't experienced on any previous expedition…Each client was in it for himself or herself…" (213). It portrays the important
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When Krakauer accomplishes his goal and arrive at the summit of the the mountain he does not take any photos but rather begins his descent journey. On the way down Krakauer is running low on oxygen and intelligently requests Andy Harris to turn down his valves to conserve it. However Andy erroneously opens the valves and release all of his oxygen. Krakauer now faces the issue of continuing without any supportive oxygen. Krakeru is in dismay, and begins speeding up his venture down the mountain. He passes hall and other climbers until he gets to the southside summit where there are oxygen canisters. Krakeru then comes across Beck weathers, whose vision is incapacitated due to the pressure on the mountain affecting one of his eyes that recently underwent surgery. Beck is suffering but refuses assistance and courageously fights toward camp. As krakauer gets farther down, the storm brews stronger, and a blizzard develops. He attempts to follow the accurate trail but is impacted by the storm as begins to have hallucinations. Andy Harris meets up with Krakauer and they rally enough vitality to get to