“Resist much. Obey little.” -Walt Whitman
In evaluating Edward Abbey’s The Monkey Wrench Gang, it is clear that it comes close to reaching a place of Abbey’s most steadfast convictions: a romantically idealized world in which the Industrial Revolution has been aborted, and society that strives for a steady-state equilibrium where man and the land can exist in harmony. The novel is effective in persuading others to do whatever it take to protect what is most vital to our existence, wilderness. Abbey pleads for others to realize that if they do not fight for their wilderness now, a world of machines will devour all the untamed, beautiful places and steal the souls of humans in the process.
Abbey uses The Monkey Wrench Gang as an outlet to express his anger towards the industrialization of the American Southwest. To Abbey, who one of the last people to float through Glen Canyon before it dammed, the $400 million “pork barrel” (123, Bishop) reclamation project was the moral equivalent of filling “St. Patrick’s Cathedral with nuclear waste.” (123, Bishop) Abbey uses the characters of Hayduke, Bonnie, Seldom and Doc as metaphors for how he wishes the people of the world would act.
Characterized by a strong devotion to the protection of the natural world, the main characters of the novel all share emotions of anger and passion with Abbey. Like Abbey, The Monkey Wrench Gang is realizes their freedom is directly tied to the survival of wilderness. They realize that, “We can have wilderness without freedom. We can have wilderness without human life at all; but we cannot have freedom without wilderness.” (xvi, Abbey)
The Monkey Wrench Gang’s wilderness is threatened by standards set by the U.S. government. If effort to supp...
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...ves for a steady-state equilibrium where man and the land can exist in harmony. Abbey pleads for others to realize that if they do not fight for their wilderness now, mad machines will devour all the untamed, beautiful places and steal the souls of humans in the process.
As intended, Abbey’s words ignite passion in those who listen.
Works Cited
Abbey, Edward. The Monkey Wrench Gang. 1975. New York: Harper Collins, 2000. Print.
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Bishop, James, Jr. Epitaph for a Desert Anarchist: The Life and Legacy of Edward Abbey. New York: Atheneum, 1994. Print.
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terrorist acts of a more homegrown variety. Stern interviews American terrorists here in the United
Desert Solitaire aims to draw attention to the activities of a man voluntarily isolated in nature. It seeks to identify the strife that Abbey faces with modern day human’s treatment of his nature. As such, the argument that Abbey poses in one his earlier chapters Rocks is, that the Modern Day man is destructive and cannot be trusted to preserve nature as is.
Roger’s simple and swift destruction of the conch shows how quickly savagery can destroy civilization. Golding uses the conch in this scene to symbolize civilization and how fragile it is. Piggy’s abrupt death and the destruction of the conch bring to a conclusion all efforts to achieve any kind of civilization on the island. “See? See? That’s what you get! I meant that! There isn’t a tribe for you anymore! The conch is gone–”. (Jack pg. 181)
Civilization struggling for power against savagery was shown throughout Lord of the Flies. These opposite mindsets are shown battling while determining who had the right to speak during assemblies, when the group hunted pigs, throughout the struggle over Piggy’s glasses, and finally with Simon’s death. These polar opposites are shown throughout these examples and reveal the desperation of clinging to civilization while savagery took over the actions of the some of the boys in Lord of the Flies.
Maggie and Jimmie, siblings whom Cranes uses as protagonists, live in deplorable and violent conditions. The setting is America West, during the industrialization era. The change from agricultural to industrial economy led to many casualties, including Maggie and Jimmie’s parents. They found themselves in periphery of economic edifice where poverty was rampant. Now alcoholics, they are incapable of offering parental care and support to their children. This leaves the children at the mercies of a violent, vain, and despondent society that shapes them to what they became in the end. Cranes’ ability to create and sustain characters that readers can empathize with is epic though critics like Eichhorst have lambasted his episodic style (23). This paper will demonstrate that in spite of its inadequacy, Cranes Novella caricatures American naturalism in a way hitherto unseen by illustrating the profound effect of social circumstances on his characters.
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...ion-Background." EARTH 103: Earth in the Future. The Pennsylvania State University, 2014. Web. 21 Apr. 2014.
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Edward Abbey’s, Monkey Wrench Gang consists of the old liberal doctor, the Bronx’s own feminist Bonnie Azzbug, the Mormon river guide, and the outspoken Vietnam Vet Hayduke. Dr. Sarvis is depicted as the wise old doc with the financial means to fund the trip and just incase, a great lawyer. Often, Dr. Sarvis’ head is held high on his shoulders insisting no weapons, no violence and “anarchy isn’t the answer”(74). Previous to the trip, Doc and Bonnie would protest polluting the scenery of the Southwest by burning billboards along highway 66 during the night. When the group needed to purchase their supplies they didn’t want to appear as a
Herman, E. & Sullivan, G. O.1989. The Terrorism Industry: The Experts and Institutions That Shape Our View of Terror. New York: Pantheon.
The valley is described as a “desolate” place where “ashes grow like wheat into ridges and hills into grotesque gardens”. (21) Ashes that dominate the area take the shape of natural greenery. The term “grotesque gardens” uses alliteration, with juxtaposition; to highlight the odd pairing of ashes and greenery. Ashes are associated with death while ridges and “gardens” represent the potential to flourish and grow in the promise and ideal of equality as in “the trees that had made way for Gatsby’s house, had once pandered in whispers to the last and greatest of all human dreams.” (143) The trees that once stood here were able to speak to man’s dreams, which allude to America, the land able to speak to man’s dreams and capacity for wonder. All this is replaced by grey ash that suffocates the inhabitants, restricting them to their social class. This presents a bleak image of hopelessness that surrounds the valley.
While reading The Monkey Wrench Gang, many images appear in one?s mind. The uses of Edward Abbey?s skill of developing characters through language, appearance, actions and opinions make this novel more enjoyable to read. The shaping of each character persuades the reader to believe that, "Oh my desert, yours is the only death I cannot bear."
...survival with savagery. In man’s quest for survival, these primal desires gives rise to violence against the weak and oppressed. As a result, his rationality is questioned and a deep seeded, darker side of his nature begins to show.
Ratnesar, Romesh. "Ground Zero: Exaggerating the Jihadist Threat." TIME.com. N.p., 18 Aug. 2010. Web. 19 Dec. 2014. .
Wright, L. (2008, June 2). The Rebellion Within: An Al Qaeda Mastermind Questions Terrorism. New Yorker.