George Mallory on his Everest expeditionChomolungma, Mother Goddess of the Earth
Jeffrey Archer. Paths of Glory.London: Macmillan.2009.
ISBN. 978-0-330-50425-6
The paths of glory lead but to the grave...
Thomas Gray.
What a different Archer I am seeing now in this novel...there is truth in this fiction. There is fiction in this truth. The philosophy of the Gita, ' What did you bring to earth to say you've lost it? What did you lose that you had to redeem it? You've lost nothing. You've brought nothing...' is at the core of this story, a true story in part.
The novel marks a man's journey twoards his hour of glory, only for him to realise that his hour of glory is at home, in his wife. The discovery of an innate talent, the true potential to rise to the top, the endless hours of grooming and preparation, the friendships of a lifetime, the finding of true love, the sacrifices made to reach the pinnacle of glory...all these and more are drawn with fine strokes of penmanship.
Ruth and Chomolungma , the Mother Goddess of the Earth vie for Mallory's heart. Ruth wins his heart, but Chomolungma wins his body. The ultimate defiance of Chomolungma's supremacy and priamriness by placing Ruth's photo atop the Everest, I feel, brings Mallory down.
However, page 446 is still a mystery to me. I've read and re-read the page to see if I have missed any small clue and am still in the dark. Perhaps, other readers can illumine my mind.
The book is not the nail-biting type of wild life stor, nor is it a truly romantic novel of adventure, chivalry and daringness like his 'Prisoner of Birth'. Yet, one cannot put the book down, because one wants to know if all the efforts taken by Mallory and the sacrifices made by Ruth were worth it all.
At the end of the tale, we are told of the recovery of Mallory's body. This is the truth. Mallory dies after having planted the photo of Ruth atop the Everest. This is fiction. Or is it?
ISBN. 978-0-330-50425-6
The paths of glory lead but to the grave...
Thomas Gray.
What a different Archer I am seeing now in this novel...there is truth in this fiction. There is fiction in this truth. The philosophy of the Gita, ' What did you bring to earth to say you've lost it? What did you lose that you had to redeem it? You've lost nothing. You've brought nothing...' is at the core of this story, a true story in part.
The novel marks a man's journey twoards his hour of glory, only for him to realise that his hour of glory is at home, in his wife. The discovery of an innate talent, the true potential to rise to the top, the endless hours of grooming and preparation, the friendships of a lifetime, the finding of true love, the sacrifices made to reach the pinnacle of glory...all these and more are drawn with fine strokes of penmanship.
Ruth and Chomolungma , the Mother Goddess of the Earth vie for Mallory's heart. Ruth wins his heart, but Chomolungma wins his body. The ultimate defiance of Chomolungma's supremacy and priamriness by placing Ruth's photo atop the Everest, I feel, brings Mallory down.
However, page 446 is still a mystery to me. I've read and re-read the page to see if I have missed any small clue and am still in the dark. Perhaps, other readers can illumine my mind.
The book is not the nail-biting type of wild life stor, nor is it a truly romantic novel of adventure, chivalry and daringness like his 'Prisoner of Birth'. Yet, one cannot put the book down, because one wants to know if all the efforts taken by Mallory and the sacrifices made by Ruth were worth it all.
At the end of the tale, we are told of the recovery of Mallory's body. This is the truth. Mallory dies after having planted the photo of Ruth atop the Everest. This is fiction. Or is it?