Analysis of the Different Emotions in Chapter 1, Page 21

In this extract from Touching the Void by Joe Simpson, the author explores the different emotions of the narrator. In the first paragraph words including “tranquil”, “calming”, “freedom”, and “invigorating independence” are used. In the second and third paragraphs the words “awe”, “glistening”, and “happy”. While the mood remains fairly similar throughout the passage (tranquility and excitement), there is a slight tone change in between the first and second paragraph. The first paragraph is a zoom in on Joe’s thoughts on how isolation makes him feel free while the second switches to an admiration and awe of his surroundings: the setting of the story. Both of these moods indicate the function of the exposition, which is to introduce the reader to Joe’s passions for mountaineering and his reasoning for participating in such a dangerous activity.