Edward Abbey's Down The River

In the excerpt from the passage “Down the River,” Edward Abbey ventures through Aravaipa Canyon in New Mexico, while writing of his adventure. Observing his surroundings and by comparing the nature to life, Abbey establishes an attitude of wonder while also being judgmental towards nature. The author had many attitudes towards the Canyon. One of his many attitudes included wonder. Edward always showed a sense of wondering while going through the Canyon, always finding things. The passage states “I felt more wonder than fear.” He always showed a sense of wanting to learn. While in the canyon he saw many animals that he didn’t know of, like “Piglike animals with tusks, oversized heads, and tapering bodies, they roam the slopes...” From his description it makes him sound as if he has a yearning to want to discover more of the land, and what lies in it.
The second attitude the author shows toward the canyon is a psychological comparison of the canyon to life. He wants a better understanding of the canyon, but yet cannot gain it. …show more content…
He takes all the scenery in to make great memories of the place. “Infinitely rich in detail and relationships, in wonder, beauty, mystery.” Also, he says that he has “earned enough memories.” Although he thinks the canyon is beautiful he believes it has no purpose and useless. “So small and trivial and useless and precious a place as Aravaipa.” Attitudes of wonder, appreciation, and judgement are just a few of the many. The purpose of the essay was to give his thoughts and feelings while traveling and documenting his exploration through the Aravaipa Canyon. There was a hidden message that Edward was trying to say through the essay. The main point he was trying to get at was that we humans cannot fully comprehend our lives due to the vast majority of space in the world. He used the canyon as a physical example of our knowledge and