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Essay / Research Paper Abstract
This 5 page paper argues that Peter Mattheissen’s book “The Snow Leopard” is as much about his journey of self-discovery as it is a story about his explorations of the Himalayas. Bibliography lists 2 sources.
Page Count:
5 pages (~225 words per page)
File: D0_HVsnolep.rtf
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Unformatted sample text from the term paper:
which allows him to grow and develop so that he can learn to accept the death of his wife. Discussion The journey as a metaphor for spiritual growth is hardly
a new idea; the best "quest" literature, whether its "Beowulf" or The Lord of the Rings takes the hero on a quest that changes him internally even as he pursues
his outward goal. As Hoaglund notes, Matthiessen is not new to writing about epic journeys, having already shared his experiences trekking through New Guinea, rafting down the Amazon, driving through
East Africa or investigating sharks near Australia (Hoaglund). In The Snow Leopard, Mattheissen and his companion George Schaller "walked for five weeks under the massif of Annapurna ... toward Crystal
Mountain in the Land of Dolpo, before the onrush of approaching winter" (Hoaglund). Schallers purpose on the trip was to study Himalayan blue sheep and "maybe to see a snow
leopard" (Hoaglund). Mattheissen himself was seeking "signs and premonitions from which to fashion a most complicated and ambitious book" (Hoaglund). That this is a different type of undertaking for Mattheissen
is revealed by his choice of Schaller as his traveling companion. Most of those who have gone with him on similar treks "have been a scruffy collection of shabby hirelings
and rich macho playboys who were footing the bill" (Hoaglund). Schaller is someone quite different; his presence, along with that of the "noble Sherpas" indicates that this time, the purpose
of the trip is more than mere adventure. The fact that Mattheissen is making an interior journey toward peace and acceptance is revealed by the fact that he reveals that
he "feels the presence of Buddha" from time to time (Hoaglund). Mattheissen is a recent convert to Buddhism, and his sense of being close to his spiritual leader can be
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