Circumstances In Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air

Benjamin Disraeli once said, “Circumstances are beyond human control, but our conduct is in our own power.” That being said, we as human beings face circumstances constantly in our daily lives, externally and internally. Jon Krakauer is the author of Into Thin Air, a nonfiction book that focuses on the grueling account that him and his fellow climbers endured while trying to climb Mount Everest. The story begins with him being assigned to write a brief piece about the mountain for Outside magazine. He was supposed to stay at a base camp and report from there, but somehow manages to convince his bosses to allow him and his fellow climbers to embark on a expedition to the summit of the mountain. Unfortunately, that is when things didn’t go accordingly to plan. Although the early days of

As a reiteration, we as human beings face circumstances constantly in our daily lives, externally and internally. Sometimes the circumstances we face are arduous and literally mean life or death. Jon Krakauer and his fellow climbers has certainly faced those arduous life or death circumstances as they embark on a expedition to the summit of Mount Everest. While ascending the slope of the mountain, Krakauer and his fellow climbers endured series of physical hardships and illnesses that arose from the increase in altitude and extreme weather conditions. In turn, those setbacks have impacted their mental states, decision making, and relationships with each other. The consequences were catastrophic and punishing as those changes ultimately resulted in the loss of fellow climbers that Krakauer befriended in his climbing group. Meanwhile, Krakauer is spared and returns home relatively unscathed, but he remains deeply bothered by the traumatizing events that occurred on that day. He is guilt ridden and constantly questions