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Chapter 15
Themes
and Colors
Key
LitCharts assigns a color and icon to each theme in Between a Rock and a Hard Place, which you can use to track the themes throughout the work.
Survival and the Human Body
The Power of Nature
Disillusionment with Modern Life
Communication
Summary
Analysis
Ralston’s story became national news even before his dad made it from New York to Grand Junction. He had a long recovery to make up for the 40 pounds of weight and liter and a half of blood that he lost during the time he was trapped. His mom and dad stay near him for much of the recovery. After a week, he is able to wear real clothes and walk around. He does his first press conference while very high on painkillers.
The reason this book exists in the first place is because Ralston’s story became so popular. While he has sometimes sought recognition in the past, Ralston seems overwhelmed by the wave of media attention he gets, particularly since his weak condition and need for painkillers leaves him in a weakened mental state.
Active
Themes
After the press conference, Ralston talks with his photographer friend Dan Bayer, who says he located the puddle Ralston drank from and found a dead raven in it. Ralston is released from the hospital but has to come back on May 15, after doctors note a potentially lethal infection he got from his knife. Ralston is sad about missing Sonja’s graduation, but they manage to find a way to let him attend the graduation while connected to an IV.
While once Ralston feared for his life, he now is able to return to more everyday concerns like whether or not he will be able to attend Sonja’s graduation. The way that people help accommodate his recovery again shows how, as alone as Ralston felt in the canyon, he does ultimately have people in his life who want to help him. While Ralston will never know, this passage raises the question of whether the dead raven in the pool of water he drank was the same one that used to fly overhead in the canyon—since it didn’t fly by at its usual time on the day he cut his arm.
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Themes
Ralston has to go back for even more treatment, including an angiogram, and this ends up being the most difficult and painful part of his recovery. But on May 25, he finally goes home for good, although he still has medication he has to take regularly for his infection.
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Themes
Ralston continues to struggle during recovery because he is so dependent on others and has to stay with his mom and dad. He dislikes how his life is full of doctor’s appointments and insurance meetings instead of things he used to enjoy like mountaineering and concerts. He feels like he has to go through adolescence again, slowly becoming more independent.
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Themes
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Because of a comment Ralston made at a press conference about margaritas, he frequently gets gifts in the mail of margarita supplies or gift cards to Mexican restaurants. Some of Ralston’s favorite musicians, like String Cheese Incident and Trey Anastasio from Phish, have benefit concerts for Ralston to support volunteer search-and-rescue groups or invite Ralston to dinner. Kristi and Megan attend one of the concerts.
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Themes
In July, Ralston goes on David Letterman’s show and continues to make more media appearances. He also gets back into rock climbing with his new prosthetic arm. On August 31, Sonja gets married, and Ralston is there to give a reading. In September, Ralston and his mom finally work up the courage to watch the video he made while in the canyon, and it’s an emotional moment.
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In September, six months after his accident, Ralston returns to Blue John Canyon with some friends and a team from NBC to go over the route he took. On Halloween, he dresses as a pirate, and he’s happy to see a fellow climber who is dressed up as him.
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Themes
Ralston reflects on how he feels blessed by all the new opportunities he has. He considers his accident and rescue to be spiritual experiences for him, and if he had the chance to do things over, he’d still part ways with Megan and Kristi and go off on his own. He believes that people need to follow their passions and be willing to let go of things they no longer need, because saying goodbye can also be the start of a new beginning.
