In
this poem, there are two main characters, David and
Bob. They are both good friends and they climb mountains
every summer, and it is a ritual for them to spend
this time together. They are both experienced climbers,
given that they do the activity often. Bob, while
climbing one of the mountains, briefly loses his foothold.
David reaches out to help him regain his balance,
but his footholds break. David falls 50 feet while
Bob has already recovered from his slip. This shows
that David is a very charismatic person because he
sacrificed his safety to try to help his friend. He
is a devoted and courageous person. Bob reacts to
the situation with extreme worry and concern, which
shows that he as well is a good a friend. David, because
of his fall, experienced injuries that he knew would
cause him to live the rest of his life crippled. Because
of this, he asked Bob to push off the ledge so that
he wouldn't have to suffer anymore. There are two
main issues with David's request. Is he a logical
person who does not let his emotions get in the way
of making a proper decision? Or, is it the opposite,
that he wasn't thinking about the consequences of
his actions and how his death might affect his loved
ones? Either way, it shows that David is capable of
making a decision, right or wrong, in face of extreme
pressure. After hearing David's request, Bob struggles
with the idea of being responsible for his friend's
death. In the end, he decides that it is more important
to respect his friend's wishes. This shows that Bob
knows his place and knows David well enough to know
that he would not want to live crippled for the rest
of his life.
