One Wrong Step

Mistakes are a recurring motif in the story, serving as catalysts for growth and self-awareness as Atlas works on Navigating the Road to Maturity. Early in the expedition, his father reminds Mr. Blake of the simple but wise truth that “[e]veryone makes mistakes” (106), and this statement becomes an important mantra for Atlas as he navigates the mountainside and learns to forgive his father for the man’s own past mistakes.

The significance of mistakes is further emphasized during moments of extreme peril. On multiple occasions, the titular “one wrong step” leads to near disaster, as when Maddie nearly slides off the cliff or when Atlas falls over the gully. As the narrative states, “[T]he smallest misstep here could be deadly” (166), and this harsh truth forces Atlas to confront his own vulnerabilities, lean on others for help, and admit to the consequences of his actions.

As the story progresses, the weight of individual mistakes becomes more pronounced. As Atlas and Maddie confront the mountain alone, Atlas must rely on the lessons of his past mistakes in order to navigate his present challenges. By staying calm in the face of adversity, he finds creative solutions that would otherwise elude him. The responsibility of survival hinges on Atlas and Maddie’s ability to learn from their past errors and adapt accordingly. This dynamic culminates in a moment of introspection that forces Atlas to consider the ramifications of his past choices. He takes a significant step toward inner healing when he finally acknowledges that making mistakes is simply part of developing as a person and a climber.

The scarf that Atlas wears, which his mother knitted for him, becomes a symbol of Learning to Move Forward After Loss. The garment initially stands for Atlas’s insistence on clinging to his mother’s memory to the point that he fails to move on with his life. This symbol’s significance is heightened by the anonymous monk’s warning against looking in the wrong direction, and this early form of foreshadowing suggests that Atlas’s experience on the mountain will force him to reckon with the flaws in his grief-stricken worldview. Later in the novel, Atlas experiences a defining moment of choice when he chooses to save the oxygen tank over his scarf, symbolically choosing his own well-being and survival over his attachment to the past.

The moment of choice between the scarf and the oxygen tank becomes a metaphor for Atlas’s internal conflict and the very thing that has been holding him back. He thinks to himself, “What if the choice was between saving those I loved or keeping my old life, the life in which I looked backward and froze during difficult times, and kept myself in that cocoon of my mum’s old scarf?” (290-91). In this moment, the scarf represents his past and his grief, which have prevented him from achieving new growth.

Atlas soon finds that the act of letting go is both painful and liberating. At first, he tries to save the tank, but he ends up losing both the oxygen and the scarf to his moment of indecision. Later, Atlas reflects on this moment, thinking, “As hard as it had been to watch my mum’s scarf flutter away, I realized that I’d been holding on to it for the wrong reasons. It had become the way I’d held on to my pain” (299). These thoughts prove that he has grown as a person and has begun to symbolically release his grief and allow space for healing and new beginnings. In the story’s final chapter, the scarf reappears as a symbol of hope for a peaceful future. Upon receiving a scarf from a grateful woman, Atlas is reminded of his mother and the need for hope in dark times.