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Aiko Goldston
Mrs. Crichton
AP English
1 December 2013
The Distinctive Style of Jon Krakauer
Jon Krakauer spent three years researching about the Mormon Church and a year
climbing the infamous Mount Everest. Into Thin Air is a book about Krakauer's first-hand
experience on Mt.Everest and the tragedy that accompanied it; Under the Banner of Heaven is a
history of the Mormon Church and reveals how devotion in the Mormon Church can be
deadly. Although both books are on completely different subjects, Krakauer's style is evident
throughout. Krakauers tone and distinctive word choice in each book contributes to the main
purpose of the book which was to educate readers with information.
Both books begin each chapter with a distinctive quote which relates to what the chapter
covers. In Under the Banner of Heaven, Krakauer begins each chapter with one or two quotes
relating to the subject and chapter. The use of quotes establishes Krakauer's credibility and
shows that he is a reliable source because he has researched tremendously on the subject. A
quote from the Salt Lake City Tribune begins chapter three of Under The Banner of Heaven with
The essential principle of Mormonism is not polygamy at all but the ambition...to rule the souls
and lives of its subjects with absolute authority (Krakauer 29). This quote relates to the chapter
and further supports the idea that Mormons were very absolute in ruling. The quote also shows
that Krakauer has researched a lot on this subject and helps introduce the topic of the
chapter. Each chapter of Into Thin Air is also introduced with a quote related to the chapter or
Everest itself. These quotes further create reliability for Krakauer, showing that he has
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researched. For example, Krakauer uses an excerpt from Thomas F. Hornbeins book, Everest:
The West Ridge, to open chapter two, which is mainly about how Everest was climbed for the
first time after being found to be the tallest mountain in the world and Krakauers acceptance to
climb the mountain for a magazine. The quote is about how Everest is captivating, which relates
to the chapter because Krakauer recalls his ambition to climb Everest since his childhood. This
quote also shows that he knows about Everest and has explored a lot on it, revealing that he is
not the only one with these ideas that Everest is very captivating. Quotes in the beginning of
each chapter help the reader prepare for the chapter and show the reliability of Krakauer which
contributes to his overall purpose of educating readers.
Throughout both books, Krakauer utilizes a formal tone when giving information and
facts, but in Into Thin Air, Krakauer lapses into different tones to spark interest from the reader
and illustrate the scene. In Under the Banner of Heaven, Krakauer uses a formal tone to convey
the information about Mormonism and its history. By using quotes and dialogue, Krakauer is
able to maintain the formal tone and avoid his input on the subject, which helps him provide
unbiased information to the reader. However in a few occasions, Krakauer puts his own input
in. For example in the Mormon Church men, and only men, are admitted to the priesthood
(31). Krakauer interrupts the sentence with his own opinion, which shows how he lapses from
formal tone sometimes. In Into Thin Air, Krakauer uses an array of tones since he experienced
the trip. He keeps a formal tone when telling history, facts and information but also uses excited
and nervous tones to keep the reader interested and help visualize. For example, when he
describes himself as spellbound,...my face pressed against the window...for the rest of the
flight (30), Krakauer creates an eager tone which provides the reader with a visual and keeps
the reader interested. Instead of just reporting information and facts in a formal tone to educate
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the reader like he does in Under the Banner of Heaven, Krakauer utilizes a variety of tones
throughout Into Thin Air to share his thoughts and ideas in the journey while educating the reader
on Everest and its dangers.
In both books, Krakauer utilizes vivid word choice to paint a picture for the readers. In
Into Thin Air, Krakauer uses many metaphors and similes such as ice crystals that trailed...like a
long silk scarf (30) to compare the jet stream and help the reader visualize the scene because a
scarf is something readers would be more familiar with. These images compel the reader to
continue and reveals that Krakauer not only wants to tell his story but leave an impression on the
reader. He also uses interesting word choice to describe Mount Everest as a mountain jutted
from the spine of the Himalaya in the forbidden kingdom of Nepal (13). His word choices
portray Mount Everest as a looming, mysterious monster which adds to the overall excitement in
the book. These diction choices contribute to the striking imagery and his awed tone whenever
he talks about Mount Everest. Similarly in Under the Banner of Heaven, Krakauer uses vivid
word choice but only to set the scene. Since the book is more informative, he does not use as
many colorful words as Into Thin Air, but it is evident that he tries to input them whenever he
can. Krakauer describes Mountain Meadow as a clear artesian spring with lush green sledges
and bunchgrass gone to seed (210). Using these words, Krakauer creates a calm and tranquil
atmosphere for Mountain Meadow which is sharply contrasted because a bloody massacre
occurred there. Krakauer's use of vibrant imagery helps the reader visualize Mountain Meadow
and emphasizes the massacre that happened at such a peaceful place. The word choices
Krakauer utilizes throughout both books aid in his telling of the story and telling of facts.
Both books differ in level of objectivity because Into Thin Air is a personal account of
Krakauer climbing Mt.Everest while Under the Banner of Heaven is more informative on the
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Mormon faith. Since Krakauer was on the Everest expedition and experienced the disaster
accompanied with it, he uses first person point of view through the book which adds his own
opinions and views. When talking about the characters climbing, Krakauer observes that Beck,
and especially Yasuko, on the other hand... looked sketchy (81). This quote demonstrates the
subjectivity Krakauer lapse into; however, he is able to keep the subjectiveness at bay when he
talks about the histories of the mountain, the countries surrounded by it and the climbing
exhibitions. Under The Banner of Heaven, on the other hand, is much more objective because it
is more of a informative book with facts, history and short stories. The use of dialogue in the
short stories help decrease the subjectivity and stop Krakauer from inputting his opinions. For
example, when describing the murder of Brenda and Erica Lafferty, Krakauer mainly resorts to
dialogue from the murderers, Ron and Dan Lafferty. He uses dialogue to show the tone of the
speakers and help the reader visualize what happened from the people who committed it instead
of him, which would greatly increase the subjectivity. The level of objectivity used helps the
reader not get influenced by Krakauer and decide their opinion for themselves. The differing
levels of objectivity in each book contribute to Krakauers goal to educate the readers with
unbiased information on Mormon faith and a real encounter on Everest.
In both Under the Banner of Heaven and Into Thin Air, Krakauer is able to tell his story
with vivid imagery and use of quotes in the beginning of each chapter to help develop his story
and give accurate information to the readers.