Ghosts of Everest is a narrative on the discovery of Mallory’s body
Like every adventure book, it is essential to capture the attention of the readers and leave them talking about the things that happen to the characters as if they are the reader’s own experiences. ‘Ghosts of Everest: The Search for Mallory & Irvine’ by Jochem Hemmleb, Larry Johnson, Eric Simonson and Northdurft is one of the mountain climbing adventure books that capture the attention of the readers intriguingly. The book is a 1999, Mountaineers Books publication and costs approximately $25 on Amazon. The cover depicts two mountain climbers with oxygen tanks tied to their backs and a note from Mallory to Noel, who was a more experienced climber and professional photographer. The review of the book reveals the purpose of the writing, the theme of the book, how the authors support the main idea, accuracy and objectivity of the information as well as other crucial insights from the narrative.
Ghosts of Everest is a narrative on the discovery of Mallory’s body in search of answers to their expedition with his partner Irvine and whether they reached the summit of the mountain. The story begins with a description of the events that led to Mallory’s and Irvine’s disappearance then proceeds to show how the authors prepared to find out the details of the mystery. The story begins by introducing Mallory and Irvine and the speculated details of their mountain climbing experience, then proceeds to highlight on how the two died in the quest to reach the summit of Mt. Everest. According to the unfolding, the climbers may have reached or failed to scale the mountain as prepared due to the misjudgment of their preparation. Anticipating 8hours of climbing for a distance that is approximated to take 12 hours shows the dedication and faith, Mallory and Irvine had in their skills. Furthermore, the inability to ascertain the number of oxygen tanks the pair carried to reach the summit creates a mystery and allows the readers to understand the need for the right gear in mountain climbing.
The authors intend to inspire mountain climbers to understand the technicality of their adventures and prepare adequately before they begin the journey or inspire other people to take on the challenge. While the book focuses on Mallory and Irvine, the authors also spend a significant portion of writing detailing their preparation to find out the truth on the climber’s disappearance and death. Hence, the book not only gives an account of how Mallory and Irvine prepared to reach Mt. Everest summit, but also the value of groundwork in uncovering the details of this tragic event. Through the display of how the authors sought the help of recognized and experienced climbers, the book intends to inspire other adventure-seeking persons and groups to lay adequate groundwork before embarking on such challenges. The book achieves this through the creation of a mystery that Mallory and Irvine may not have made it to the peak due to the deficiency of the right tools necessary for the climb. The authors maintain that Irvine “was both delighted and disappointed” on realizing the need to use oxygen in their journey with Mallory (p.95). The statement indicates a sense of relief knowing the value of the oxygen tanks but a significant amount of fear owing to the lack of faith on the old and heavy tanks used in the process.
The book also intends to create a sense of passion for adventure-seekers and non-active persons by highlighting the excitement and dedication that Mallory and Irvine put into the scaling of the mountain. During the search for details, one of the experienced and equipped climbers noted that the group was intimated by the risky path and the process of traversing the mountain from the chosen side (p.145). The slippery terrain and overhanging cliffs threatening to send the climbers down the North Face of Mt. Everest is a scary adventure that requires one to be dedicated and committed to the end goal. Readers who have not been on an adventure can feel the passion of Irvine and Mallory in scaling the mountain and the dedication of the authors in uncovering details by going through the same path. The authors intend to highlight on the need to dedicate oneself to an adventure for one to meet the said objectives and inspire incoming generations to be courageous in their conquest.
A different perspective shows that the book is written from an objective point using the facts and ideas collected in the 1999 research on Mallory’s and Irvine’s adventure. Readers can make judgment on the validity of the information presented as Hemmleb, Johnson, Simonson and Northdurft do not pre-empt on the events that occurred from the bottom of the mountain. The readers are keen on collecting facts and using them to enlighten readers on the events that culminated in the death of two experienced mountain climbers. Through the use of images, the book manages to give the audience a clear picture of the situations described as opposed to leaving it all to the imagination of the target readers. Cromey (2013) indicates that images should be treated as research data to allow a more informed judgment and reduce assumptions in a research or writing. The authors comprehend the need for the images in making their purpose and perspective clear; through all the images and information they maintain that they cannot conclude on whether Mallory and Irvine reached the summit.
The story classifies as an adventure-genre book and targets a variety of audience starting with non-fiction readers, researchers looking to gain insights through a dramatic experience and prospective adventure seekers. The book classifies in the adventure genre as it contains courageous protagonists, highlights on the dramatic experiences of mountain climbing and reflects on the emotions of the climbers which excites, scares or arouses readers. Schneider (2012) indicates that adventurous people feel the need to understand the experiences of others and use this as a foundation for building on their own cultural connections. Similarly, adventure genre books explore this perspective and excite readers; “Ghosts of Everest’ fits perfectly in to the category by focusing on painting a clear picture of the mountain climbing experience. Apart from the depiction of the challenges and adventure documented by Mallory, Irvine, and their contacts, the book also shows the adventures of the researchers throughout the process of data collection.
One of the ways in which the writers define the target audience is through the presentation of a clear and in-depth abstract that allows one to decide from the beginning on whether the read is worth the time. It is vital for authors to comprehend the need for a good and detailed abstract in defining the target audience and creating interest in their work (Halpern & Phelan, 2017). The abstract spells out the previous conquests taken by Mallory and Irvine, the start of their problems on Camp VI in Everest and the issues that faced their last step to the summit. Northdurft, the designated storyteller in the novel includes in the abstract that the morning of taking on the last 2000miles to the peak, the climbers faced “steeply rising, scree-strewn limestone slabs” affecting their movement. Audiences can have a feel of what is in the book and begin to make their decision on whether to proceed and they begin to get in touch with the drama in the book keeping them in suspense but curious to find out what happens to the climbers in the long run.
The narrator is both formal and informal in the narration as the details are presented in a personal style of writing that captures the drama, but uses technical vocabulary difficult for non-native English speakers to get at first glance. For instance, the phrase “It was Brinkmanship” is difficult to understand for most readers, but the author maintains such vocabulary throughout the book. The fullness of development emerges from the combination of the phrases to explain difficult terms using simpler expression before or after the difficult vocabulary. Any reader can skip through the technical language and get the message without missing out on the drama and the major expressions and emotions in the characters. The formality of presentation also appears in the description of the chronology of events from the planning to the mountaineering to the reporting. Both the formal and informal expressions are concise allowing the reader to grasp the intended message at once through few words; the book goes straight to the point on what it intends and the message. The writer does not attempt to conceal details o maintain the suspense, but uses a well developing description of the drama to achieve this suspense.
The book has a major impact as it arouses a sense of fear towards mountain climbing and erases the causality of adventure that I held on to in the past. Having undertaken other types of adventures and with prospects of mountain climbing in the future, the book arouses the need for preparation and caution as it makes it clear how easy it can be to lose lives in the process. Comprehending how simple issues like the right tools, forgetfulness and the right support is essential in mountain climbing makes it clear that I am not ready for such a big challenge. With recommendations from mountaineers to scale small mountains before conquering the large ones, I have been reluctant to heed to their advice. However, the reading of “Ghosts of Everest” creates an in-depth feeling of fear and lack of preparation and humbles me to heed to the advice of experienced adventure-seekers. Through the clarity of thoughts and facts presented by the authors, the book manages to impact a sense of caution in any adventure that I plan to pursue in the future.
While there exists a series of mountain books, “Ghosts of Everest” has a deep sense of originality as it maintains the suspense and creates a sense of drama, even for readers who have gone through other stories. For instance, “Into Thin Air” by John Krakauer provides a dramatic feel of the dangers of mountain climbing and the vulnerability of explorers to natural disasters. The book shows how the author witnessed the death of five people from a storm from the summit of Everest; this creates fear for any reader looking to go on an adventure. However, “Ghosts of Everest’ provides a calm atmosphere showing how simple challenges can culminate in the slow death of mountaineers, also arousing anxiety for the readers. The originality of the approach and perspective enhances the delivery of the message and allows the author to maintain the attention of the readers throughout the book.
The book reinforces the idea that an adventurous spirit can be created through the understanding of other people’s perspective and passion in dealing with challenges. For instance, the authors recognize the danger of scaling Everest from the North-Facing side, but strive to extend the passion of Mallory and Irvine by exploring the mountain to capture the exact details of what happened. While the authors are adventure-seekers, their intent was not to attempt life-threatening conquests, but through the understanding of what Mallory and Irvine were attempting, the climbers found themselves in a similar path. The unfolding reinforces the idea that people can have an adventurous spirit that is inert, but an inspiration from other people’s experience awakes the urge to explore.
The narrative achieved its goals by using real-life experiences to dramatize mountaineering adventures while presenting information on what led to the death of Mallory and his partner Irvine. The book also achieves the objective of competing with fictional adventure books through the simplicity of presentation while packing a ton of information, suspense and drama. One would recommend this book due to the ability to fuse the experience of two explorers who died with the involvement of researchers scaling the same dangerous mountain. The book is a good read as it presents both the documented and uncovered details of Mallory and Irvine’s journey and at the same time the adventure of the researchers.
Example
Title: Ghosts of Everest: The Search for Mallory & Irvine
General Subject Matter: Mountaineering Adventure
Theme: The events surrounding the death and disappearance of two brave and experienced explorers
Thesis: Weaving the past events of Mallory’s and Irvine’s death with new information seeking to find out whether the two climbers reached the summit before their death.
Development
The authors use a combination of images and descriptive words, as well as details of the events in exciting the readers while limiting the creativity of the audience to the real-life situation documented. Mystery lovers are glued to the content trough the suspense and the desire to uncover the consistency of the mountain terrain for the dead climbers and the researchers taking the same route. When reading, the descriptions give a sense of adrenaline as one tries to hold their breath for the researchers to get to the top alive and descend with the necessary information on Mallory and Irvine’s death. Hemlebb expresses that “I don’t think climbers climb to risk death” which allows the readers to understand that their fear should not be the failure of the climbers to return (p.23). However, it is difficult to read the book and not cringe at the description of the misty, slippery paths as well as the dangers of the reducing oxygen and increasing fatigue as the climbers edge towards the top. The descriptions allow one to take the journey with the researchers and imagine the experience of Mallory and Irvine risking their lives to reach the summit when all the porters descended at 2000 feet below the peak.
The narration switches between the life of Mallory and Irvine and the experience of the researchers on the mountain; the authors however reference some of the earlier presented information to bring back the flow. For instance Chapter 8 provides a description of the missing letters and photograph of Mallory’s wife when his body was discovered, then goes ahead and describes the experience at Camp VI. Switching from the discovery of the body and the possessions on it to back to when the climbers were alive is a narrative strategy to emphasize on the plot. The strategy is useful in the book as it creates a sense of understanding as to when events happened and how each experience at every point links to the previous one or the following events. The author also makes the details clear when applying this strategy to avoid confusion of any form and allow the readers to flow while retaining as much knowledge of the situation as possible.
There are a series of argument used by the reader to try and uncover the facts of what happened to Mallory and Irvine on the mountain while trying as much as possible to eliminate bias. For instance, the authors question whether the explorers reached the peak and exclaim that “The plain truth is that there is still no definitive answer” to show their conclusion on the issue (p.17). The narrator argues that two tanks would have not been enough for the climb, and if Mallory and Irvine took more, then the luggage was too heavy considering their ailing status by the time they left Camp VI. At the same time, no photographs and letters of Ruth were found on Mallory’s body, which suggests that he might have reached the summit and planted them there as was the objective. The lack of adequate insights to make conclusions on the matter makes the narrator take a neutral stand on the argument, which is interesting as readers are comfortable with reasonable arguments.
Responding to the author’s opinion, it is prudent to conclude that the dedication and passion of Mallory and Irvine are unmatchable whether they reached the summit or not. Agreeing with the author, the conquest was an adventure of love as the two explorers expressed their passion while Mallory was also looking to impress his wife by showing her that it was worth the sacrifice. At the same time, the authors indicate that Mallory and Irvine did not display any fear in their journey, but it is arguable that from Ruth’s statement, the gentlemen were not confident of their skills and preparation to meet their goal. Ruth highlights that her husband confided in her that “he did not believe he would return alive” to signify that he was fearful of what was ahead and did it out of the duty to meet his goals. The passion of losing a wife and leaving behind other people for a legacy of conquest is the greatest value one can learn from the two explorers.
The book highlights on the major issues of global warming creating intense unpredictability on the weather and the terrain in the mountains as the explorers are subjected to unexpected situations. Mourey et al. (2019) indicate that the climate issues are culminating in fewer days of snowfall and more melting, but the unpredictability of the situation is putting mountaineers at risk. The description of the Mt. Everest experience relates to the current global issues affecting the society; putting the lives of people at risk due to weather unpredictability and underestimating the impact. One gets to comprehend why explorers are investing in more advanced technologies for weather predictability and measuring the amount of snow in an area with the rise in melting. ‘Ghosts of Everest’ describes the dangerous ridge as the “snow terrace” showing the dangers of not understanding the height of the new Snowmass for the climbers and the insufficiency of tools to assist in that process.
A look at the life of Jochen Hemmleb as the lead researcher and author reveals that the individual is passionate about the physical an emotional benefits of mountain climbing as much as the networks. The New York Times indicates that Hemmleb has an obsession with the death of Mallory, but also the impact of relationships in building on the mountain climbing experiences. Hemmleb’s understanding of how relying on other people is crucial in mountain climbing makes his contribution to the book significant and trustworthy. At the same time, Larry Johnson was a marketing director in a publishing firm which enhances their qualifications to put together a coherent non-fiction narrative.
In conclusion, the book achieves the intended goals to provide a look in to a real-life adventure of Mallory and Irvine scaling Mt. Everest while finding out details of their death. The concluding paragraphs focus on depicting the death of the partners in the mountain and emphasizes on the fact that there is no direct evidence pointing to the two reaching the summit. The chapter concludes at a high note providing details of Irvine’s horrible experience in trying to survive the cold of the mountains, injuries from his fall and the desperation of not seeing his friend. The coherence, structure, precision, sticking to the theme and the authenticity of the supporting materials makes the book more captivating.