Ambition In Jon Krakauer's Into Thin Air

Many individuals find themselves developing ambitions or goals. Some of those individuals will have the determination to try to achieve these goals, which will lead to some failing, and others succeeding. In fact, this may impact other individual’s lives. In the non-fiction novel Into Thin Air, author Jon Krakauer examines both the advantages and disadvantages of ambition, implying that ambition can either be a blessing or become a tragic flaw. Krakauer develops his ideas by utilizing character motivation to explore the negative and positive aspects of ambition on self and others.

Krakauer uses character motivation to express the characters ambition to successfully summit Everest. Scott Fisher, the Mountain Madness head guide, “has this burning ambition to be a great climber, to be one of the best in the world.” His ambition is useful for his climbing career, but when he “pushes himself beyond any physical limitation,” he ends up dying in the end. Lopsang Jangbu Sherpa, Fisher’s climbing Sirdar, beats himself up for his death. Krakauer said, “Unfortunately, the sort of individual who is programmed to ignore personal

distress and keep pushing for the top is frequently programmed to disregard signs of grave and imminent danger as well.” This certainly defines many of the climber on the mountain.
Doug Hansen, the forty-six year old, postal worker is full of ambition after spending, “the entire previous year agonizing over the fact that he’d gotten within three hundred feet of the summit and had to turn around.” This time he is determined to make it, which cost his and his guide, Rob Hall’s life. Earlier on in the book, Doug’s ambition was supported by the many students of Sunrise Elementary School and Karen Marie a significant other, and after being informed that she was moving near him Doug said, “I better make the summit and get Everest out of my system before she changes her mind.” Later, Doug still continued his journey to the top of the mountain, even after receiving a “frozen larynx” and “incipient frostbite on several toes” during the accumulation period. Doug’s ambition may have gotten him to the top of Everest, but his poor judgement is what made his ambition a tragic flaw.
While Doug’s ambition turned out to be tragic, Beck Weathers saved his life.

After being left for dead Beck miraculously became conscious again. Realizing that he was, “in deep shit and the cavalry wasn’t coming” he picked himself up and walked towards camp. After spending the night in a collapsed shelter Beck managed to stay alive. Later that day, Beck after being, “given up for dead yet again” was determined to get down Everest alive. Later on after safely making it off the mountain People magazine wrote an article about Beck Weathers, which talks about how his near death experience saved his marriage. Though his ambition to get to the top of Everest when, “his vision [got] worse” the higher he climbed up; which might have been the reason he almost lost his life, but that doesn’t compare to the amount of determination it took him to save his

life.
Throughout the book, Krakauer displays the follow through of pursuing ambition in positive and negative ways. Also, the consequences the characters created through ambition. Therefore indicating that ambition is a good thing to have, but should be constrained at times as it can become a problem of life or death.