Joe Simpson Burn Case Study

1. In the face of insurmountable odds, why do some individuals/groups survive and others don’t?

In the face of insurmountable odds, sometimes the attitude and personality of an individual determines whether or not he or she makes it out of the adventure alive. For example, Joe Simpson, one of the hikers from Touching the Void is a risk taker, and he gambled lowering himself down to the bottom of the ice pit. This was a tough decision for him to make because he would be going deeper instead of making his way up. Fortunately, he was lucky enough to have found a way out. If he had not taken the risk, however, he may have uselessly continued to struggle to climb upwards, perhaps without ever being able to escape. Similarly, when Aron Ralston …show more content…
For example, when Joe Simpson, a hiker from Touching the Void, dislocated his leg, he was in excruciating pain to the point where it strongly affected the rest of his hiking experience. He could no longer walk properly, and this injury made his journey much more difficult than it already was. Because the dislocated leg caused him to suffer, he became mentally drained as well. This can be seen when he could no longer focus and felt like he was about to die, and all he could hear was Boney M.’s “Brown Girl in the Rain”. Surviving became more challenging to Simpson because of these two external and internal factors. Another example of an external factor making survival more unlikely is when Aron Ralston’s right arm was trapped in between two boulders. Because of this, he could not loosen himself to escape, so his life depended on a few drops of water and a blunt knife. In both scenarios, these two individuals must have been extremely frightened. Interestingly enough, Sigmund Freud explains that all humans need some anxiety to survive. This thought of his ties back to evolutionary roots because humans had to learn how to stay away from poisonous animals, for example, to stay alive. However, he also clarifies that one should not experience too much anxiety either. In the scenarios explained above, the two …show more content…
For example, Maria Marquis, a National Geographic hiker, claims that she would not have gained insight about nature and dispelled her previous misconceptions about herself if it were not for the “extreme discomforts” she encountered on her adventure. This is an example of desiring learning through experience, and Marquis believed that it would not have been possible for her to learn this deeply about nature without struggling to the extent that she did. Similarly, Aron Ralston went on the expedition because his goal was to recollect his thoughts and appreciate nature. Ralston claims in an interview that he did not regret amputating his arm because to be free again was the greatest joy he had ever experienced, and he learned what he is potentially capable of doing. Another example of going on physically exerting expeditions to gain insight on nature is a group of veterans climbing to the top of North America’s tallest peak. Those hikers who shared their experience with National Geographic claim that they did it to make discoveries that staying within comfortable limits would not allow. The common reaction to hearing about these wildly physically demanding adventures is disbelief and confusion as to why one would put him or herself through it. However, it is time for modern day society to appreciate these hikers’ curiosity and