How we cite our quotes: (Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #4
Beck […] was tough, driven, stoic. And what I initially took to be arrogance was looking more and more like exuberance. (10.7)
To be honest, Krakauer is shocked by how tough Beck Weathers actually is. Though he initially dislikes the dude due to Weathers' sometimes icky political comments, even a tree-hugging liberal like Krakauer has to give the guy credit.
Quote #5
"With enough determination, any bloody idiot can get up this hill," Hall observed. "The trick is to get back down alive." (11.11)
This comment takes on some seriously ominous undertones after a massive disaster strikes just weeks later. The craziest part is that Hall doesn't even listen to his own advice and instead pushes himself well beyond his physical limits.
Quote #6
By this late stage in the expedition we had all been subjected to levels of misery and peril that would have sent more balanced individuals packing for home long ago. (13.21)
One person's "determination" is another's "mental insanity." By all counts, every single one of the inexperienced climbers on Everest should have packed things up and gone home. But they didn't. Whether you admire them for it or criticize them for it, you have to give them some credit for sticking to their guns.