TOW #16: Into Thin Air, Jon Krakauer

When trying to recall a traumatic experience, many times the events that someone may think occurred are not actually true. Jon Krakauer, the author of Into Thin Air, had to determine between fact and fiction when writing about his disastrous expedition of Mt. Everest. Krakauer uses quotes from survivors and analogies from other writers to retell the most accurate account of the devastating events that he and his fellow expeditionists experienced.

Krakauer was sent to Nepal by Outsider Magazine to write about a guided ascent of Mt. Everest. Krakauer unknowingly took part in a climb that would lead to the death of many of his fellow climbers. Upon his return, Krakauer wrote his article for Outsider Magazine, but felt the article did not serve proper justice for his experience. Krakauer’s decision to write a book meant that he would have to tell the accurate version of the events that took place. Krakauer knew that he had difficulty remembering the accuracy of every event because of the emotions that the expedition caused him. Due to this, Krakauer met with the survivors to use their quotes as well as his own to retell the story as accurately as possible. By his use of quotes, Krakauer is proving his credibility. Since it is known that every survivor may view the climb differently, Krakauer creates a medium between all of the viewpoints that make his story, as accurate of an account of his expedition as possible.

Krakauer also alludes to other writers’ work to help create the emotions that he felt during each chapter in the story. At the beginning of every chapter Krakauer shares a poem or excerpt either about climbing or ones that create the same mood that the chapter creates. For example, at the beginning of chapter fifteen Krakauer provides an excerpt from Joseph Conrad’s, Lord Jim. The paragraph talks about the emotions felt by a man when he is facing a danger that takes his life. This foreshadows events that will occur in the chapter that follows. By using appropriate allusions to other writers’ work before each chapter, Krakauer foreshadows events and creates moods that will be portrayed in the chapter to help the reader feel as he felt when experiencing the events.

Krakauer faced the difficulty of accurately portraying the disastrous expedition of Mt. Everest that he experienced. He uses quotes to find a medium between all of the survivors viewpoints and shares excerpts from other works of writing to create a specific mood that enables him to write the most accurate account of his Mt. Everest expedition.