Desert Solitaire - Questions/Analysis

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

04 April 2005

 

EDWARD ABBEY

DESERT SOLITAIRE – A Season in the Wilderness

 

 

Down the River

 

1. How does birth imagery fit narrative’s purpose? (191)

 

           Entering the river for his first discovery from outside, Abbey describes the achievement, joy, and pleasures, as if it is the birth of child from the womb, the glorious adventure.

 

2. How/ Why is chapter elegiac?

 

           The developers build another reservoir in Glen Canyon that the entire canyon along with the Colorado River will sink forever; no one can see the beautiful scenery any more. The unrevealed precious scenery reserved since primitive time will be filled with water; another great nature will be destroyed by developers. Abbey’s last chance of discovery unseen Glen Canyon is for elegy of nature, consequently, elegy of mankind.

 

3. Where does Abbey address philosophical issues?

 

           Where Abbey is deep in nature of wilderness, in fact, everywhere he encounters with new discovery along with river, nature made him to connect with his belief, the truth, and his philosophy.

 

4. What does it mean to be an “earthiest”? (231)

 

           Abbey believes the existence of the earth, the power of nature. Abbey perceives that the earth, as it is, is the only truth. Earth can be replaced with anything else.

 

 

Havasu

 

5. What significance to the narrative is Abbey’s experience where almost loses himself? (251)

 

           When he see serpent’s eyes, Abbey reminds of something from his past almost loses himself that “Abbey agonized over the girls he had known and over those he hoped were yet to come.”

 

 

The Dead Man at Grandview Point

 

6. How does juxtaposition of death and the sublime serve Abbey’s purpose?

 

           Death contributes the essential nature of life on earth. Death makes room for others to live, clear for the next crop, just like he describes, “A ruthless, brutal process­ - but clean and beautiful.”

 

 

Tukuhnikivats, the Island in the Desert

 

7. How does Abbey return to his core philosophical experience?

 

           When Abbey is high on Thkuhnikivats, he sees everything is small and mortal, unique and disparate, realizing nobody lives forever. Abbey return to his core philosophy from experience that things should be left as it is.