One Wrong Step

Content Warning: This section of the guide includes discussion of death and religious discrimination.

The mountains are more than part of the landscape; they symbolize the physical and emotional journey that Atlas endures as he learns about himself and those around him. Even the flashbacks to Atlas’s earlier experiences support this point, as his first summit at Kings Peak proved to be a life-changing experience in that it was deeply tainted by his mother’s death. With this initial experience as a blueprint, Atlas has developed an unhealthy association with mountain climbing, using the activity as an excuse for running away from his grief over his mother’s death. As he recalls the intense emotions that he felt upon beholding the summit of Kings Peak, he comes to associate this heady feeling with an elusive form of escape.

When he and his father travel to Mount Everest, the imagery of the mountain takes on a new level of significance, especially given that the local Tibetan name, Chomolungma, means “Goddess Mother of the World.” This epithet showcases the spiritual nature of the mountain and its importance in Tibetan culture. Atlas’s journey on the mountain is accordingly fraught with a sense of peril that mirrors his internal struggles, and the ascent becomes an intense emotional test that requires him to face both physical dangers and emotional challenges.