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Arctic Adventure
"In a book I once read by Peter Freuchen,' Fanshawe writes, 'the famous Arctic explorer describes being trapped by a blizzard in northern Greenland. Alone, his supplies dwindling, he decided to build an igloo and wait out the storm. Many days passed. Afraid, above all, that he would be attacked by wolves - for he heard them prowling hungrily on the roof of his igloo - he would periodically step outside and sing at the top of his lungs in order to frighten them away. But the wind was blowing fiercely, and no matter how hard he sang, the only thing he could hear was the wind. If this was a serious problem, however, the problem of the igloo was much greater. For Freuchen began to notice that the walls of his little shelter were gradually closing in on him. Because of the particular weather conditions outside, his breath was literally freezing to the walls, and with each breath the walls became that much smaller, until eventually there was almost no room left for his body. It is surely a frightening thing, to imagine breathing yourself into a coffin of ice...
For in this case it is the man himself who is the agent of his own destruction, and further, the instrument of that destruction is the very thing he needs to keep himself alive. For surely a man cannot live if he does not breathe. But at the same time, he will not live if he does breathe. Curiously, I do not remember how Freuchen managed to escape his predicament. But needless to say, he did escape. The title of the book, if I recall, is Arctic Adventure. It has been out of print for many years."
"But who wouldn't jump at the chance to redeem himself - what man is strong enough to reject the possibility of hope?"
I must first share with you that Paul Auster is one of my favorite writers.
He has the ability to write about the story in the story in the
story ,etc. ,etc., in such a relaxed manner without presenting it as an
obscure array of events. He also reminds one constantly that our lives do
have those chance intersections that amaze us when we read books - we only
have to become AWARE of all the significant and even insignificant
connections between our own being and our surroundings.
We don't know how Freuchen escaped, and we can not always determine how we escape from the ice coffins we find ourselves in, but we escape. Our human logic limits us to see that there is a way and that discourages and shatters us and clogs our senses. But somehow something pushes us forward. I would not risk to call that something hope, or the will to live. I would not risk to call that something anything. I will only repeat and repeat that WE ESCAPE.
We don't know how Freuchen escaped, and we can not always determine how we escape from the ice coffins we find ourselves in, but we escape. Our human logic limits us to see that there is a way and that discourages and shatters us and clogs our senses. But somehow something pushes us forward. I would not risk to call that something hope, or the will to live. I would not risk to call that something anything. I will only repeat and repeat that WE ESCAPE.
Two things intrigue me in this tale. First of all that this man did not shout out in the face of fear, he sang… To me this once again illustrates the beauty and resilience of the human spirit. It can not be smothered even in the face of adversity.
Secondly, how we sometimes need to do things, take risks and in this case, even breathe – all things that could eventually result in our own destruction. In many cases this self destruction is purely projection. Inevitably we make the choices that shape our lives, the choice to breathe….
willow
1 November 1996
