“No, wilderness is not a luxury but a necessity of the human spirit, and as vital to our lives as water and good bread” (Abbey 1971). Edward Abbey was born in Indiana, Pennsylvania on January 19th of 1927. At the age of 17, Abbey left his home to make his way across America where he found his love for nature and specifically, the desert. Abbey was a seasonal park ranger at Arches National Monument, where he got the inspiration for his best-seller, Desert Solitaire. Abbey writes about living alone in the desert, to escape the cultures in today’s society. Abbey has a way of writing that is not quite comparable to any other author. I personally love hearing people talk about something that they’re passionate about, to see the gleam in their eye and hear the excitement in their tone. That is how I pictured …show more content…
Even short phrases in Desert Solitaire have rich meaning and show Edward Abbey as he really is. “I am not an atheist but an earthiest” (Abbey 1971). This is easily shown through not only Desert Solitaire and his other books, but all of his interviews about the world and his life. “A great thirst is a great joy when quenched in time” (Abbey 1971). Here Abbey talks about his need for nature and wilderness as a thirst that demands to be felt, and its bittersweet once he finally gets that release. “Where all think alike there is little danger of innovations” (Abbey 1971). This short quote probably had the most meaning to me out of the entire book. In my head I envision carbon copies of people on hover boards with their faces buried in smart phones, on the same routine as each other. Going through life blindly, living but not seeing, knowing but not feeling. It actually makes me feel slightly ill that Abbey is so right, everyone is so enveloped in their lives and technology that very rarely do people appreciate all the world has to offer on its