Interpretive Analyses essay on edward abbey book desert solitaire

Interpretive Analyses on edward abbey book desert solitaire - Essay Example and in your own, the flavor of an apple, the embrace of a friend or lover, the silk of a girls thigh, the sunlight on rocks and leaves, the feel of music, the bark of a tree, the abrasion of granite and sand, the plunge of clear water into a pool, the face of the wind" (p. xiii) Travelling in the sand of the desert and the rocky barren land are like conducting the excavations in the goldmine which bring forth new hopes and experiences from the author’s perspective. This book is like the oases in the desert. Abbey has no hesitation in stating categorically, "... I have personal convictions to uphold. Ideals, you might say. I prefer not to kill animals. Im a humanist; Id rather kill a man than a snake" (p. 20) and the reader will understand why Abbey makes such a hard observation as he turns the pages of the book! The content of the book is the summing up of Abbey’s benevolence. He intensely likes the silence and the grandeur of the wild desert and the quiet life of its inhabitants. The beliefs and practices of this naturalist are the need of the time when artificiality dominates in every area of the human activities. When human being, enamored of the scientific achievements, acts as if the nature is the permanent enemy, its exploitation is the birth right and one must be ever at war with it. Abbey sees paradise in canyons and the Colorado River and resents industrial tourism. In every small detail, in the oscillating blade of grass and the mighty roar of the river, Abbey relishes the mesmerizing beauty of Nature! He pleads that environmentalism should not be the view but the way of life. Condemnation of the defilers of Nature is not his literary pastime, but a strong conviction. The contents of the book are not the official annual report of the ranger who is posted in the part for one year. This one is not an ordinary ranger! For the exploiters, the bounties of Nature are the monetary rewards—it’s their commission. For Abbey it is the mission!