When Bret Stephens writes about Alex Honnold, he notes that ‘Free Solo’, the movie, is based on Honnold’s solo climb of Yosemite’s “El Capitan”, that the movie’s main idea is less about climbing than you would think. He says that the real purpose of the movie is “less about climbing than it is about living” (Stephens, 2018). Stephens questions what the goal in some lives should be, especially in people like Honnold, as well as whether we should strive our lives for excellence, as such in Honnold’s case. El Capitan, a climbing route that is graded 5.13a, is a climb that is a major achievement that only few climbers have reached, Nevertheless, Honnold attempts, and succeeds in doing so, by himself, without any aid, safety equipment, or anyone else out there to save him. Honnold has Free-soloed over 1000 routes and therefore is likely the best Free-soloer in the world. El Capitan, his most impressive free-solo, rises above 3000 feet of vertical elevation and is an extremely scary sight to many even without climbing up it without safety equipment. …show more content…
He also notes that Alex is a perfectionist, someone who needs to be perfect, for his climbs. Bret Stephens’ real purpose in writing is to show how Honnold’s climb should mean something to us. It shows how our goal in life should be more about living, not to Honnold’s level, but to their own goal of excellence. Excellence does not necessarily mean climbing up a 5.13a, nor does it mean breaking any records, or doing a death-defying feat. It means working towards a goal, setting yourself free from boundaries of what you think, or anyone thinks you can do. Stephen writes about this ‘freedom’ shown in the climb, in Honnold case, the perfection he needs to