Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors by Piers Paul Read l Summary & Study Guide by BookRags Read Free Book Online Page A

also departed from
this city.

 
    Santiago, Chile

 
    Destination for
the rugby team traveling on the Fairchild.

 
    Stella Maris
College

 
    A school for
boys between the ages of nine and sixteen. It was founded in opposition to the local public
schools and the private school taught by Jesuits. The Christian Brothers who
taught at the school introduced the boys to the game of rugby. The boys took a
liking to the game ,and , after graduation, they created
a competitive alumni team.

 
    Fuselage

 
    The fuselage was the survivors'
only protection. It was the remnants of the plane (its wings and tail fell
elsewhere) in which the survivors slept.

 
    Andes mountains

 
    The mountain
range in which the Fairchild was lost.

 
    Curico

 
    The pilot's last reported
position was flying over the city of Curico . This was actually an incorrect assessment, which lead to great
confusion and lost time during the rescue search.

 
    Tinguiririca Volcano

 
    This volcano was the closest
physical landmark to the crash site. The volcano was alluded to by the water
diviner, but his information was dismissed because it wasn't in agreement with
the pilot's reported path.

 
    Avalanche

 
    On the seventeenth day of their
ordeal an avalanche struck. The avalanche claimed the lives of eight of those
who had originally survived the crash.

 
    Azufre River

 
    After trekking through the
mountains Canessa and Parrado came to a large and seemingly uncrossable river. This
river watered a healthy and fertile valley on the outskirts of the mountains.
This river is where they finally encountered help.

 
    Themes

 
    Cannibalism

 
    Cannibalism was a major theme in
this book. The only way for the survivors to sustain themselves was through
cannibalism. In the beginning, many of the survivals were opposed to the
practice. Some overcame their revulsion when they grew weak from hunger. It is
especially significant to note that the people who committed cannibalism did so
with complete reverence for the departed.This was not
an easy transaction; instead it involved a mixture of contemplation and
desperation. Indeed, the survivors would have perished without this food
source. The survivors contemplated their choices, realized that they had none
and asked for God's permission. Most believed He would approve and likened
their action to the Catholic Church's practice of communion. They did what they
had to do to survive and came to terms with that decision. Once rescued,
however, the survivors were surprised to find that what they did was not
accepted by the general public. Citizens found it to be disagreeable and were
quick to condemn those who participated. It was disappointing to the survivors
that their food source made as large a headline in the media as the plane crash
and their subsequent rescue. Certainly the cannibalism was more sensational
than the survival, however newsworthy the crash and rescue were. Even more
upsetting was that the families of the survivors were also upset by the rumors
of cannibalism. The human heart is sometimes in conflict with the mind. The
families of survivors rationally knew that the only way their family members
returned was to survive through cannibalism, yet they couldn't accept it.   

 
    Rescue

 
    The Fairchild crashed at just
past three o'clock in the afternoon. Once the shock passed, the survivors began
to talk among themselves about a rescue effort. Evening came fast and with it,
the cold and darkness. It was apparent that a rescue could not occur in the darkness,
so they huddled together to survive the first night. In the early days
following the crash, the survivors were confident that they would be rescued.
They did their best to stabilize the injured survivors and search the plane for
supplies. Because they anticipated a fast rescue, they were tempted to eat all
of the food supplies, and, in fact, some were in favor of doing so. Wisely,
others thought rationing was prudent