Obsession In Norman Maclean's Young Men And Fire

In Norman Maclean’s text, Young Men and Fire, the reader is revealed an emotional and heart-wrenching tale of 13 smokejumpers that lose their lives on a seemingly ordinary day of wildfire fighting. The choice of recounting this tale in a Greek-story format shows us the academic, intellectual prowess of Maclean and his want to not only talk about the historical facts and testimony, but to meet the reader in his heart and express emotions that fill the empty factual spaces. Maclean says, “A storyteller, unlike a historian, must follow compassion wherever it leads him. He must be able to accompany his characters, even into smoke and fire, and bear witness to what they thought and felt even when they themselves no longer knew.” Throughout the text, we constantly see examples of Maclean’s complete and utter obsession over this event, and how that drives him in a relentless pursuit of the truth about what happened. This obsession could be the result of many different triggers, but most likely came from a personal aspect of Maclean’s life; the wake of his brother’s death. Not only does he obsess over this event, Maclean also shows many of his Christian theological roots, intentionally or not, in the way he shares this …show more content…
As obsessed as he seems, Maclean exemplifies patience and even glimpses of his Christian roots that he was brought up in as he shares his story. He taps in on the reader’s emotional foundation throughout this tragic text, but also leaves room for themes such as hope and belief in the scenes where Dodge, Sallee and Rumsey are able to escape the unescapable fire. When all is said and done, Maclean shares with us his passion that he spent the last 20 years of his life dissecting. A passion that I hope to someday be able to