Edward Abbey Essays

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Edward Abbey First Morning Analysis
In my personal opinion the memoir written by Edward Abbey, The First Morning gave the best
description of his initial assessment of the Arches National Monument. His narrative gave many
details on how he physically felt the night of his arrival along with his waking moments to watch
the sun rise. His description of his views started off describing his journey in finding the house
trailer which he would live in for the next six months. "The road, narrow and rocky, twisted
sharply left and right, dipped in and out of ravines, climbing by degrees toward a summit which I
would see only in the light of the coming day." (p. 564) His descriptions were so detailed that as a
reader it is easy to visualize and even obtain a chill in the air by reading

Echo Defense, By Edward Abbey
In "Echo–Defense" by Edward Abbey, the author highlights a synopsis by indicated that in the event,
an individual family is at risk and threatens by an unknown person that the subject proceed to loot
his or her home. Any reasonable individual has the responsibility and every right to protect his or her
family by any necessary means. The writer pointed out the American wilderness is under such assault
due to corporations' greediness that are more concern about their profit than the environment. The
responsibility to preserve on what we term 'Naturel resources' and 'Natural world' morally ought to
be everyone obligation to preserve the wilderness for the next generation to come. As such, the lack
of determination to preserve natural resources has enormously affected the environment, precisely
animals and other life sources; for instance, minerals, forest, and fertile land that frequently occurs
more often than not for economic gains. This is a situation that has been forgotten and ignored by
public and elected officials due to profit and their reelection campaign funds. Because of corporate
greediness, this issue has effected the environment and of course they are more focus on short term
profit instead of the damaged that are being done and the long term impact on the environment. The
wilderness is under assault and is being diminished due to lack of governmental oversight. Another
example in "The Call of the Wild" poem by Gary Snyder, the author emphasizes how humankind

The Damnation of a Canyon Essay
Strong Response: The Damnation of a Canyon In the reading The Damnation of a Canyon, the
author, Edward Abbey, described his outlook on the Glen Canyon Dam and Lake Powell.
Throughout his reading, he emphasized many positives the Glen Canyon Dam once had. The text
revealed Abbey believing the nature that Glen Canyon used to contain and how people didn't
appreciate it. He used his perspectives of when he worked as a park ranger before all the changes
happened. He strongly believed in nature. He felt that he supported his argument with facts and his
personal opinions. If Abbey discussed his views to others, then maybe he could've understood the
reason why other people enjoy the new reservoir. I feel that Abbey has the right to judge...show more
content...
He provided situations for people to acknowledge like the cost, adventure that people could be
experienced, and the trip that can be safe and easier "than a powerboat tour of the reservoir." I
think he appeared to be trustworthy of his own words because he gave us elements of nature.
Agreeing with Abbey does have a lot of appalling outlooks. There are people that will go against
his argument since his resources seem to only come from his personal experience. I will agree
with Abbey because every day people are killing nature like there is no tomorrow. People are
taking advantage of what nature gave us. Every where you turn, natural habitat are being disturbed
just for some lousy houses. Abbey is trying to convince people to be on his side with nature. He
described before the damnation that "there were springs, sometimes flowing streams, waterfalls and
plunge pools." Abbey gave us an illustration how the dam looked and it was filled with "songbirds:
vireos, warblers, mockingbirds, and thrushes" and "larger mammals–mule deer, coyote, bobcat,
ring–tailed cat, gray fox, kit fox, skunk, badgersВ…" He argued nature was killed during the process
of building the reservoir. This argument probably brought many people's attention to agree or
disagree with him. Abbey represented the environmentalists to help grow the anti–dam movement. If
I had the chance to do the movement then I will help and support it. He also argued people that
doesn't appreciate

The difference between "Serpents of Paradise" by Edward Abbey and "Thinking Like a
Mountain" by Aldo Leopold is specifically that one essay focuses more on the hunting aspect of
life. Both essays seem to care about the environment. In Abbey's essay he tries to figure out how to
avoid killing the snake; he needed to stay calm and move it without getting bit. In Leopold's essay
he killed a wolf to save the deer population; allowing him to hunt more deer. Each essay was written
with great description, yet showing one author cared more about the animal and its environment over
the other. In both Leopold and Abbey essays they wanted to alter their environment, but only Abbey
succeeded due to Abbey having the correct knowledge when it came to his environment. The authors
have two clearly different environments and describes them in diverse ways. Abbey writes about his
surroundings as a bright, clear, calm April morning. He changed his description in the afternoon as
"the wind begins to blow, raising dust and sand in funnel–shaped twisters that spin across that desert
briefly, like dancers, and then collapse–elements under stress" (52). While Leopold writes about his
experience with on a mountain as a "deep chesty ball echoes from rimrock to rimrock, rolls down
the mountain, and fades into the far blackness of the night" (49). People, in general, care more about
the environment as it comes to their careers. Abbey and Leopold have careers which has involved
them in their specific

Abbey, And His Fear Of Progress Essay
Abbey, and His Fear of Progress
Edward Abbey
The day that the gray jeep with the U.S. Government decal and "Bureau of Public
Roads" on it, Edward Abbey knew that progress had arrived. He had foreseen it, watching
other parks like his, fall in the face of progress. He knew that hordes of people and their
"machines" would come (Abbey 50–51). Most people see progress as a good thing.
Abbey proclaims. "I would rather take my chances in a thermonuclear war than live in such a
world (Abbey 60)."
"Prog–ress n. forward motion or advance to a higher goal; an advance; steady improvement
(Webster's)." Is progress really all of that? How can you improve on mother nature? Progress
actually detracts from the...show more content...
This means the those nice quiet trails that that hikers, bikers, and horse riders so enjoy have to be
destroyed by paving them with black asphalt. And along with the road comes the steady stream on
noisy, smelly, cars.
Abbey's park, Arches National Monument, was accessible via "traversing a long, dusty, dirt
road" when he wrote about it. It is now a paved road that carries thousands a year (Little 34).
This must be stopped for the sake of all people involved or the park setting will be the same as the
urban environment.
Anti–progress still thrives in some parks. Does that mean that some people will not got here just
because their car won't fit? Probably, but does it mean that no one but those who are young,
athletic and fit for the trails go there? No, people of all ages, and athletic ability enjoy these parks,
these are people who refuse "to live always like sardines in a can." Thousands and
thousands of people raft down the rivers, ride into the Grand Canyon on mules, and hike and climb
various mountain ranges (Abbey 55–56). More people should follow their lead and leave their cars
behind to experience the outdoors.
Abbey has thought up a good, reasonable solution that would bring the outdoors back to the
outdoors. His plan is simple, it has three steps. Although his plan may seem a bit drastic, a plan
like this is needed. The first step of his plan is to keep all motorized vehicles out of the park. The
second, stop building roads. The third

Edward Abbey's Desert Solitaire
In Edward Abbey's Desert Solitaire, Abbey readily argues for the beauty of the desert and for its
complexity, yet simple life. Abbey clearly states that his purpose for writing this book is not for
the mere purpose of making a guide book to the beautiful Arches National Park in Utah, but rather
a eulogy to the dying wilderness of the desert, due to the spread of the commercialism. Similar to
Henry David Thoreau, a renowned environmental essayist in the 1840s, Abbey believes in
removing oneself from the life the metropolis lifestyle and secluding oneself in the wilderness of
nature and relishing its simplicity of life. Abbey is no stranger to believing in the ideology that we
as a human race inherently belong out in the natural world. In Desert...show more content...
Abbey detests the lives we lead, particularly in the city. A life in which we heavily rely on
invented technologies for our convenience. He especially criticizes how the "development" of
nature sites in general, or for the mere reason to serve the people and accommodate the people's
"needs" in the wild. It is for this reason that Abbey craves to live outside of the society's influence
and rule, and to live out on one's own in solitude. The wilderness gives him a sense of freedom and
offers him a refuge from humanity's cultural dependency on the ever–constant development of
technology. To him, it is a shame, and even a sin to life, to see humanity consuming and exploiting
the very thing that sustains us: But the love of the wilderness is more than a hunger for what is
always beyond reach; it is also an expression of loyalty to the earth, the earth which bore us and
sustains us, the only paradise we ever need––if only we had the eyes to see. Original sin, the true
original sin, is the blind destruction for the sake of greed of this natural

Desert Solitaire Summary
Desert Solitaire: A Season in the Wilderness is the work for which Abbey is best known and by
which he is most frequently defined. It contains his views on a variety of subjects, from the
problems of the United States Park Service to an angry indictment of the evils of technology
masquerading under the guise of progress. No voice is more eloquent in the praise of America's
remaining wilderness nor more vitriolic in attacking those who would exploit and destroy it for
profit. In the introduction to Desert Solitaire, Abbey informs his readers that he has combined the
experiences of three summers spent as a park ranger at Arches National Monument into one for the
sake of narrative consistency. He writes that the first two summers were good...show more content...
Abbey and Newcomb camp at the mouth of the Escalante River, where it joins the Colorado.
Newcomb remains behind to fish for catfish while the adventurous Abbey explores upstream. He
wanders up the labyrinthine canyon past untouched cliff dwellings of the Anasazi, the ancient
people who inhabited the land before the Navajo. He realizes that these, too, will be submerged
under the flooding water of the Colorado. Moreover, Abbey points out that the waters of Lake
Powell will irrigate no land, will grow no crops. Instead, the trapped water will produce
power–power to make possible the continued urban sprawl of Phoenix and Albuquerque–and provide
an aquatic playground for well–to–do suburbanites, whose noisy powerboats will drown out the cry
of the red–tailed hawk, the calls of the killdeer and sandpiper. When Abbey returns down the
canyon at nightfall to rejoin his fellow adventurer Newcomb, he is greeted by the smell of
cooking catfish and the night sounds of the river. He reflects that this is all the paradise that is
needed. The beauty of the place is heartbreaking, as is the tragedy of its imminent disappearance
under mud and water. As Abbey and Newcomb approach the construction zone of the dam, a large
sign that Abbey derisively dubs "first billboard erected in Glen Canyon" reminds them that
government, in the service of greed, is willing to prosecute those who would trespass on the march
of progress. The lyricism of

Wildlife Preservation in Thinking Like a Mountain
In Thinking Like a Mountain, the author, Aldo Leopold, writes of the importance of wildlife
preservation through examples of the symbiotic relationship of animals and plant–life with a
mountain. He asks the reader to perceive the processes of a mountainous environment in an unusual
way. Aldo Leopold wants the reader to "think" like a mountain instead of thinking of only the
immediate, or as the hunter did. Taking away one feature of an ecosystem may eventually destroy
everything else that that environment is composed of. Nature and wildness is essential for the well
being of life on this earth. The excerpt begins by telling of the echoing sound of a wolf's cry. Every
...show more content...
There is a symbiotic relationship between the wolves, deer, and plant–life on many mountains. The
small amount of wolves feed off of the deer, and the deer feed off of the vegetation. By reducing
the number of wolves, the deer population rises respectively. With that, the vegetation reduces
enormously. All of the edible plants that gives the mountain it's breathtaking color and beauty are
destroyed. Habitats for many insects and animals are ruined. Leopold describes this tragedy
occurring on several mountains he has visited and relates it to "someone giving God a new
pruning shears." This assembly line affect is described in Leopold's essay when he writes: just as a
deer herd lives in mortal fear of its wolves, so does a mountain live in mortal fear of it's deer. He
proves an excellent point when he illustrates the 2–year time of replacement for a deer, while a range
of plant–life may take as long as decades to be replaced. The selection comes to a concluding point
towards the end. This is that safety and comfort during the present may lead to devastation in the
future. Leopold ties together the goals of the cowman and even politicians, to do what is convenient
and not look ahead. Cowmen stop the wolves from doing their job, which is "to trim the herd to fit
the range." As an outcome, we now have dustbowls and even less vegetation. All the while, this
destruction of wilderness is a convenience

Analysis Of Edward Abbey 's Desert Solitaire
I will be reviewing Edward Abbey's memoir during his time spent in southern Utah. In his book,
Desert Solitaire, Abbey illustrates how the Arches National Monument evolves throughout time and
including the time he spends there working as a park ranger and observing the change throughout
his adventures. The two thematic concepts I will be incorporating onto his memoir are the
urbanization and development lenses. Throughout his memoir, Abbey ties in many thematic
concepts to each other, but only addressing to these two lenses will give a better description. Thus
both urbanization and development do play a role in the main point Abbey portrays in Desert Solitaire
. In the beginning of his memoir, Abbey shares his own opinion, in which he uses to give a very
descriptive explanation on why urbanization and development are both hazardous but also carry
benefits to places like Arches Mountains. Abbey gets his point down and uses his time inUtah to
back up his argument. Desert Solitaire takes place in a small, lightly populated city in southern
Utah called Moab. Edward Abbey's venture begins when he becomes a park ranger for the Arches
National Monument. Pleased by the fact that the Arches are surrounded only by dry, deserted
Canyonlands, Abbey shares in his memoir that this is his paradise. In addition to his paradise
dream, Abbey works twelve miles away from the closest human, in which he says that he is thankful
for being in such solidarity. Being alone in one of the least

Edward Abbey Analysis
"Thinking like a mountain" by Aldo Leopold, "Serpents of Paradise" by Edward Abbey, but one of
these essays focuses more on the hunting aspects of life. They both care about the environment.
Abbey tries to find out how to avoid thought of killing an animal but to find any way to keep the
wildlife calm and maintained. They describe both situations very well but one is more careful than
the other. In both Leopold and Abbey essays they want to alter their environment but only Abbey
succeeds because only Abbey has the correct knowledge when it comes to the environment.
People care more about the environment when it comes to their job needing to be able to care about
the environment. Like in the essay "Thinking like a Mountain" Aldo Leopold went hunting in the
forest that was on a mountain called high rimrock. He has devoted himself to beings a wilderness
preservation and wilderness worker. Aldo Leopold spends most of his time out in the wilderness
hunting and supposed to preserve the wilderness. Edward Abbey writes about his experience as a
ranger at Arches National Monument, Utah. He describes his surroundings as an April morning
being bright, clear and calm. He said that about the afternoon is when it starts to get rough. "The
wind begins to blow, raising dust and sand in funnel–shaped twisters that spin across that desert
briefly, like dancers, and then collapse– elements under stress" (52). Both Edward Abbey and Aldo
Leopold had jobs that involved them with the places they write about in the essays. It makes sense
to have a job that is involved with the environment because if they didn't there would a very little
chance that anyone would spend that much time at the desert or the mountains to see an old wolf or
a rattle snake that close to them unless they are lucky when it comes to seeing animals that close.
Leopold, based off the reading he has been hunting for a long time because he goes into detail on
the best ways to hunt deer. He has beliefs that all wolves are detrimental to his hunting
experiences, he says "Less wolves equals hunter's paradise" (50). Leopold is out in the mountains
and saw an old wolf, and because he believes that if there are no wolves in the area then he will have
a lot more deer

Edward Abbey: Do We Need Wilderness?
''We need wilderness whether or not we ever set foot in it. We need a refuge even though we may
never need to go there. I may never in my life get to Alaska, for example, but I am grateful that it's
there.''–Edward Abbey I think Edward Abbey was trying to convey that we need wilderness. We
need wilderness that's not accessible with ease. We need the ''wild'' part of the ''wilderness''.
This quote reminded me of last summers camping trip. The way up into the mountains is via an
unimproved road where, when I reached the end of the paved road coming from the town, a sign
warns that I should have four–wheel drive to continue. However, I don't. But, my family had always
brought our car with an eye whether or not we would travel this road. Well,

Since the beginning of time, man and nature have coexisted with one another. Before civilizations
began and industrialization spread, all that was in the world was nature and man. Both Edward
Abbey and Ralph Waldo Emerson, viewed nature as something which made us complete as a person.
Abbey claims nature both "bore us and sustains us". They believe we owe everything to nature.
Nature has provided us opportunities to grow and prosper as an individual, yet what Abbey and
Emerson failed to recognize is the importance of community. Both men believed one could truly
understand himself by escaping society and pursuing the serenity of nature. This theory has its faults,
for while moments of isolation may be beneficial in renewing one's self, other

Thoreau And Edward Abbey: Literary Analysis
In their pieces, Walden and Desert Solitaire, Henry David Thoreau and Edward Abbey both
explore and describe the beautiful and vast aspects of nature. In addition to sharing the same
theme, these authors share views on simplicity and the purity of nature. However, their outlook
on life and solutions of solving problems are significantly different. Thoreau and Abbey both
emphasize the point of living simply. Thoreau lives in a small cabin secluded in the woods and
Abbey lives in a small trailer just out of Moab. They both live off of less; enjoying the simple
pleasures. For example, Abbey sits outside all day and gazes at the sky to take in the alluring sight.
He says, "{quote}." He often talks about loving the small things in nature. In one chapter, Abbey
talks about catching a snake and letting it loose in his home to get rid of the...show more content...
Thoreau encourages others to have self change and self reliance. He thinks that change should
depend on the person. Thoreau focuses on a smaller section of life. He doesn't depend on others
and believes that in order to change the world, he must start with himself. Abbey is completely
different by blaming others for how the world is. He calls people lazy and isn't afraid to state that
people are ignorant. His idea for change is to alter everything world wide. Abbey sees things in a
big picture and thinks that there should be a change without changing the land. He talks about how
in order to preserve his space several things must happen. Abbey comes up with three solutions
including prohibiting vehicles in national parks, stopping roads from being paved, and putting lazy
park rangers to work. He thinks that if people want to see the beauty of the wondrous structures,
like the arches in Moab, they have to work for it. Abbey depends on others to make a change. He
seems to want the change and pushes for a solution, yet he doesn't want to change

Edward Abbey And Wasteland And An Elegy
Kindred and Coexisting
As humans began to develop, the need to expand increased. Some of this increase causes nature to
be destroyed on the very foundation in which the new buildings and complexes are built. In the two
pieces of writing, The Serpents of Paradise by Edward Abbey and Wasteland: An Elegy by Mary
Oliver, the authors examine their own personal experiences with nature. In order to show that
humans should respect and are connected to nature, the authors narrate their story in first person, but
choose different approaches to aspects such as tone and the use of pathos.
In The Serpents of Paradise, Edward Abbey uses a subtle and relaxed tone until the end of the
excerpt, when his tone becomes critical of people's views on animals...show more content...
In order to keep the rattlesnakes away without killing them, the author captures a gopher snake.
He releases this snake inside his house and feels attached to the snake when it says, "We are
compatible. From my point of view friends"(Abbey). The author shows that animals considered to
be scary can be friend and not foe. By releasing a snake in his house, the author portrays the
narrator's trusting view of nature. Edward Abbey also touches on pathos by creating a sense of
fulfillment, even though the snake who the author has become so accustomed to has left. The
snakes leave for second time and it says, "I will not see the gopher snakes again. Nevertheless, I
will feel their presence watching over me like totemic deities" (Abbey). The author causes the
reader to feel sad about the snakes leaving, but it helps to lead to his next point. He transitions from
a relaxed tone to one of judgement of others when it says, " I suggest, however, that it's a foolish,
simple–minded rationalism which denies any form of emotion to all animals but man and his dog"
(Abbey). By saying this, he points out that many people only care about their pet dogs, rather than
the many other living species. The author also tries to portray his view of the value of life by
saying that "We are obliged, therefore, to spread the news, painful and bitter as it may be for some
to hear, that all living things on earth are

The essay I chose to read was "Planting a Tree" by Edward Abbey. To me, the most interesting part
of this essay is the shift from describing the terrain, to describing the missile bases located in the
area. The way the author describes the military is simply fascinating ,"The life expectancy of the
average Tucsonan, therefore, is thirty minutes–or whatever it takes for an ICBM to shuttle from
there to here." Also, whenever the author describes the great contemporary empires ,"Like mortally
wounded tyrannosaurs, they thrash out in frenzy, seeking enemies, destroying thousands of innocent
lives with each blind spasm of reaction." The author's use of active verbs and language makes this
story develop in such a way that the story will never fall

Edward Abbey's Eco-Defense
The earth screams in terror as we rape and brutalize her daily! Red Woods in California are
towering and reaching towards the sky, proud and strong. Are they destined for a prominent man's
floor? Ancient redwood trees are enormous. They tower nearly three hundred feet into the sky,
making men look like ants as they scurry around their massive trunks. The redwood forest also has
its own ecosystem full of unique life. The earth is beautifully aged and teaming with magnificent
life. Perhaps, just maybe, saving our home, our natural resources, and the last remaining ancient
giant redwoods is worth breaking the law and using less than flattering tactics. A mind provoking,
nonfiction piece of literature, by Edward Abbey, called Eco–Defense writes about the constant
looting of the entire earth, which could lead to the death of our world, and ultimately, ourselves.
Through the use of bulldozers, chainsaws, and dynamite, we as humans, are destroying our very
home. Abbey poses the question, do you have the right to defend your home if someone beats your
door down with an axe and brutalizes your family? He answers, yes, you have that right and
obligation to protect yourself and your family. Therefore, we have the right, and the duty, to defend
our home, earth, from certain death and destruction from abuse....show more content...
They are worthy of saving. Their bark is nearly a foot thick, and when exposed to fire or any heat
source, their bark becomes a heat shield. They produce a chemical, or poison even that keeps
termites and ants from burrowing holes into these giants. These gentle giants refuse to lay down
and die. When a living redwood is knocked down it will continue to grow, not just from the
original tree root, but from all the branches of the entire tree (Trees of Mystery). Would I break the
law and pound nails into every redwood tree I saw? Yes! Even if meant me paying a fine or
spending time in prison. Destroying these marvelous trees must

Edward Abbey Analysis
Edward Abbey has a very interesting definition of wilderness. He sees wilderness as a place where
humanity is non existent. Abbey talks about how he wants to be able to look into an environment
and see every aspect of the of the natural world untouched by man. Even if Abbey carries his
flashlight in the dark he doesn't feel one with nature, and that mankind is blocking out the best parts
about the environment that he is in. It doesn't matter what the man made object is, it still bothers
him whenever he is in the wilderness. People today don't enjoy wilderness for everything that it has
to offer. Listen to Abbey in the quote, and how much he goes into detail about the little things
while in the wilderness. "The fire. The odor of burning juniper is the sweetest fragrance on the
face of the earth, in my honest judgment; I doubt if all the smoking censers of Dante's paradise
could equal it. One breath of juniper smoke, like the perfume of sagebrush after rains, evokes in
magical catalysis, like certain music, the space and light and clarity and piercing strangeness of the
American West. Long may it burn" (p. 12). Many people are chasing a dream or idea...show more
content...
Most or all tourist visit these parks, and stay in their vehicles and occasionally step out and view
there surroundings. Abbey is very against this in Arches national park. He wants no motor vehicles
traveling on the dirts roads. Edward Abbey talks about accessibility and how there is not many
places on earth that man can't travel on his own two feet. "What does accessibility mean? Is there
any spot on earth that men have not proved accessible by the simplest means feet and legs and
heart? Even Mt. McKinley, even Everest, have been surmounted by men on foot." (p.48). This
basically explains Abbey's thoughts on motor vehicles, if men can travel to the top of mount everest
on foot you can travel through Arches National Park on

Down The River By Edward Abbey Summary
The beauty and wonders of nature are inexplicably alluring. In the nonfiction essay "Down The
River", Edward Abbey successfully conveys this attitude in his description of his time in the
Aravaipa Canyon. By observing his surroundings and comparing nature to human life, Abbey
expresses a peaceful admiration, blended with a mystical attitude and respect toward nature. Abbey's
awe and fascination for nature is prominent throughout his essay. For him, nature can never fully be
understood, and man will never be able to comprehend the complexity of the universe. Abby's
attitude toward nature is one of peacefulness and respect, made evident by his constant admiration
and appreciation towards it.
Abbey's attitude toward nature comes from his curiosity and wonder from visiting the canyon. In the
beginning of his story, Abbey tells an anecdote about his encounter with a mountain lion in the
canyon. Although the natural instinct is to be afraid, Abbey was not. He felt a sense of wonder and
excitement, not fear. This anecdote creates a mood of...show more content...
Although he sees this canyon as precious and wonderful, he refers to it as trivial, small and useless
in the last paragraph. However, Abbey does not see nature as unimportant, but when compared to
the vastness of the universe this one canyon is nothing. Abbey sees the universe and the all the
nature that inhabits it as "rich in detail", by saying this and referring to the canyon as useless, he
amplifies his appreciative attitude toward nature. Abbey also refers to Fuller's quote about the
world being comprehensible to show contrast. Because Abbey disagrees with this quote, it shows
his view of the universe. He does not see it as comprehensible or able to be understood, he sees it as
mysterious and incomprehensible. Abby's attitude is shown as he uses contrasting words and quotes
because it allows the reader to fully understand his view and attitude on

Analysis Of Edward Abbey's 'Desert Solitaire'
Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey begins in the area surrounding Moab, Utah. He discusses his
intense love and adoration for the land. This theme of laying out the land for the reader continues
from Chapters 1–5. It is apparent the Abbey adores nature in its purest form. Abbey rarely has
visitors of the human kind, he is more often visited by snakes, deer, birds, and other wildlife than
the parks superintendent, the chief park ranger, and a few tourists here and there. Abbey finds
himself a little lonely from time to time in the beginning of the book but by Chapter 3: The
Serpents of Paradise he finds a friend. He first encounters a not so friendly creature, a faded midget,
a poisonous rattlesnake lying underneath his doorstep. Abbey often finds himself talking to the
animals in this book, so he decides to issue the snake a warning and remove it. When it comes back
to the trailer a second time, Abbey keeps his promise and kills the snake. Eventually, he finds
another snake, which he recognizes is an enemy to the rattlesnake, and he sets out to domesticate
it. Abbey decides to take it on excursions with him, wrapping the snake around his waist
underneath his shirt. Eventually, the snake was released and never returned. In Chapter 4, Abbey
focuses more on the plants in the region, citing his favorite wildflower, the cliffrose, and going
over his weekly schedules. His busiest days are the weekends when campers come, after he
cleans, makes his rounds, takes a couple days off, restocks supplies, and then starts all over again.
Chapter 5, is when things start to get heavy. It is at this point Abbey starts revealing how truly
frustrated he is with the US government and the tourists. Abbey is fiercely protective of the park
and soon discovers that roads will be paved in the park to increase tourism. He is horrified at the
aspect of a new road because he sees automobiles as an enemy to the National Park industry. To
Abbey, cars limit tourists from actually see the land, stating that a short distance on bike or foot is
much more appreciated than a very long distance in a car. He also suggests a new plan for national
parks in order to preserve their authenticity. Abbey thinks that tourists should travel to the campsites

Edward Abbey Essays

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