A+Mountain+Journey+Character+Sketch

Sabrina Chipping 09/25/10 __**“A Mountain Journey”**__ __**Character Sketch**__ Dave Conroy’s foolishness, stubbornness, and optimism are his main traits that affect the end of the story, “A Mountain Journey”. You can tell what kind of traits or internal characteristics a person may have by their actions and decisions. So the reader may interpret Conroy’s judgment as foolish and irresponsible, stubborn and determined, yet optimistic and hopeful. His first decision to not stop for shelter under a welcoming spruce became his first foolish mistake. Although there was two hours of daylight left, he should have been more responsible and thought about what he would do if he didn’t make it to the cabin with nowhere else to go. A while after he had fallen through the ice and into the river, he even realized how much of a fool he had been for not taking care of himself. “He should have made fire when he fell through the ice, and should have spent the night three miles up the river under a tree…Any man who froze his hands or feet only had himself to blame.” His foolish decisions revealed how stubborn Conroy was. He thought he could make it to the cabin in time and that he could travel the rest of the way with frostbitten hands and feet. His stubbornness led him to life threatening consequences and that horrible feeling of regret. It is a good thing and a bad thing to have a stubborn characteristic. Bad, because it will often blind one from the truth and what is right. Good, because it illustrates that one has a great deal of determination and can have strong faith for something they believe in. Even though he didn’t make any beneficial decisions, he stayed optimistic and hopeful throughout the whole journey. Conroy always told himself that the promise of warmth and shelter was within his reach, and that he could not give up when he still had some fight left in him. He kept pushing himself to stay strong and positive. Being optimistic about what the future will bring is a great trait and attitude to have towards life. Because of all his other characteristics, the “…cold hand of the wilderness…” took his life slowly and peacefully when he laid to rest. The end of the story became the end of Dave Conroy’s life because of his own doings. The moral to this story is about making the right decisions in life and to appreciate everything you have because life is too short.

Excellent response Sabrina! Remember to avoid the use of contraction in formal writing. Excellent integration of your support and quotes into your writing.

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