Abbey reveals his affection for nature and the wild and is deeply captivated by the unaltered beauty of the wilderness and the life of solitude. One of the contradictions by Abbey is his opposition to modernity as he claims modernity through civilization alienates the human race from the beauty of the natural environment. He also claims that civilization comes with development that exerts increased pressure on the available landscapes that sometimes have to make way for human activities.
The result of these human activities is the emergence of developments such as food stores. The assertions by Abbey leave no doubt of his hatred for civilization that he considers as an antithesis to the protection of natural environments. However, despite his hate for human developments like food stores, he recognizes he has to visit such stores to purchase foodstuffs that are essential to his life.
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Abbey introduces and recognizes the desert as an attractive place where he describes it as a flaming globe (Abbey, 1968, p.7). He perceives the desert as a symbol of strength where the solidity of the natural surroundings act as a source comfort and strength. However, he later describes the desert as a cruel and a-tonal place that is neither classical nor romantic (p. 255). He further claims that the desert is emotionless and also motionless. These claims are contradictory in nature as they demonstrate the desert as an attractive place and also a harsh place to live.
The claims demonstrate the ambivalence of Abbey in revealing the characteristics of the desert environment that leaves the reader confounded on the true and factual description of the desert due to the contradictory statements. The assertions that the wild is emotionless indicate there is no flora and fauna and is a barren place. However, Abbey’s criticism of human civilization and its negative impacts on the wild would be meaningless if the desert is an emotionless place. These claims are contradictory as he would not advocate for the preservation of the environment if there is no value in such efforts. Such ambivalence becomes confusing to the reader as their intent is not clear.
The author i.e. Abbey demonstrates further contradictions on describing the wild when he claims that the desert depicts different forms of harshness that are not easily noticeable by the human eye. He continues and affirms that is the harshness that makes the desert an alluring environment that is more baffling and more fascinating (p.239). He asserts that it is these characteristics that enhance the vibrancy of life. The claims are contradictory as one cannot envisage a harsh environment like a desert where the harshness becomes the source of beauty and fascination to a human being.
A consistent theme presented by Abbey is his disdain for the exploitation of the American natural resources through activities like tourism. He highlights the vital role played by the national park system in enhancing the conservation of most of the fragile environments. However, despite his opposition to activities like tourism, he recognizes and appreciates the role played by such activities in enhancing the protection of the deserts and national parks. The acts of condemning activities like tourism and at the same time highlighting their role in sustaining the works of entities such as the national park system presents another contradiction by Abbey regarding the wilderness (Cahalan, 2001).
Also, a consistent theme is the danger that human civilization poses to the existence of the wild in its natural settings without interference through human activities. The belief is presented by the opposition Abbey demonstrates towards the construction of the Glen Canyon Dam. He reveals such projects are an example of how the human race has disfigured most of the ecosystems for their benefits. However, his opposition towards such projects is based on their interference with the natural ecosystems i.e. plants, animals and other aspects of such ecosystem. These beliefs are contradicted by the description given by Abbey of the Arches National Monument. He describes the place as quite unprofitable, clean and totally useless (Abbey, 1968, p.35).
He further describes the desert using cynical and gloom-ridden phrases when he says the place is sparse, utterly worthless and lies like a bare skeleton (Abbey, 1968, p. 301). These descriptions are contradictory as they demean the emphasis Abbey accords the need to conserve the desert or the wild in their natural environments. It baffles why he would advocate for the conservation of the wild and its natural ecosystems if the place is utterly worthless. Such negative comments and descriptions of the wild depict a place that is not worth preservation due to the heightened contempt he demonstrates in the claims. Also, the negative comments are further contradicted by the opening statements by Abbey when he asserts that the desert is the most beautiful place. It becomes confounding how a place he depicts as the most beautiful is later perceived as useless and worthless (Pozza, 2006).
The contradictions demonstrate the different viewpoints that Abbey had towards the wild even though his recognition on the need to conserve the natural environments is unquestionable. Also, his disdain for human encroachments on natural reserves is not in doubt as he perceives such activities as injurious to the preservation of the ecosystems in these environments. He is also critical of the acts of human civilization where developments are initiated in the wild with little consideration of the consequences of the activities to the flora and fauna in such environments.
References
Abbey, E. (1968). Desert solitaire . New York, NY: McGraw-Hill.
Cahalan, J. (2001). Edward Abbey: A life. Tucson: University of Arizona Press.
Pozza, D. (2006). Bedrock and paradox: The literary landscape of Edward Abbey . New York, NY: Peter Lang.
