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

and this method was undertaken.   Unfortunately, in addition to the shortage of
food, the little food that they found was of poor nutritional value. The
survivors heard a plane passing over the cloud cover on the second day, which
raised their hopes of rescue. The third day the survivors awoke to clear skies
and thought they would be rescued for sure. They had no way of knowing that, based on the last inaccurate radio transmissions from
the pilot and co-pilot, the rescue attempt was focusing on the wrong area. More
planes could be heard, but there was disagreement as to their proximity. The desolate,
snow-covered landscape into which they plunged was deceiving. Every peak looked
identical, and the distances looked short but were actually quite far. In an
effort to make themselves (and their white plane) contrast from the snow, they
used ladies' cosmetics to draw on the roof of the plane and also pulled
contents out of the plane. The survivors wanted to believe in rescue, so they
clung to the hope, even as the sound of planes were decreasing in frequency. Some imagined it would be by plane, others by
helicopter, some tomorrow and some the day after. As the days passed and the
food supplies dwindled the survivors were forced to take a proactive approach.
On the fourth day, Carlitos Paez announced that he would climb to safety. He had not thought it out well, and
was unprepared to take action, but it was the first time that they discussed
the idea of saving themselves instead of waiting to be saved. Over time, there
would be small scale expeditions to forage for food, scavenge debris from the
crash and test the conditions. In the end, Carlitos Paez's idea was correct--those that were able would have to
walk out of the cordillera on their own feet.

 
    Religion

 
    This book has many references to
religion. Although officially a free state , the
dominant religion in Uruguay is Roman Catholicism. Long before the rugby team
was organized, local parents were searching for better religious education.
This is how the Stella Maris College was founded. The boys' Christian education
was thorough and followed them on their journey. Their rugby team was named the
"Old Christians." When the members of the Old Christian rugby team
realized the gravity of the situation, many prayed. They prayed during their
crash and every day thereafter. For some, prayer was continual and personal.
For others, it was merely routine . No matter how they
each perceived prayer prior to the crash, they all prayed the rosary together
every night during their time in the mountains. When it became time to consume
the meat available from the bodies of their teammates, they discussed their
Catholic beliefs and the laws of the church. The Catholic church views suicide as a sin. Because of this, the survivors could not bring
themselves to assist the pilot in committing suicide, even though he requested
it. For this same reason the majority of the survivors could not allow
themselves to languish when food, no matter how objectionable, was available.
Even those who chose not to participate agreed with the conclusion that God
would want them to survive. The ultimate example of this was Jesus' death for
mankind and his reference at the last supper of giving his body and blood for
his friends. It is easy to see how this statement would relate to the survivors
and the choices with which they were faced. Once they returned to Montevideo,
the survivors consulted a priest and the archbishop, who agreed that their
actions were acceptable in the eyes of the church. This confirmation assuaged
their fears and lingering guilt. During their integration back into society,
the survivors unanimously spoke about a deeper faith and developing a closeness to God during their ordeal.

 
    Faith

 
    Faith enabled the survivors and
their families to persevere. Faith in this novel was bidirectional- the
parents, siblings and girlfriends had faith in the survivors and the survivors
had