Novel: 127 HOURS

P. How do you pronounce 127 hours?

R. One hundred and twenty-seven hours

P. How is Aron found? Explain how Aron was found.

R. At the beginning Brian, Joe and Leona didn't worry about Aron's whereabouts. Is at Leona’s party that they ask each other "Where is Aron?". After days of Aron being absent from work Brion worries. First, he calls his housemates and asks if they know about him. They tell him that Aron didn't go to Leona's party. Later, Brion calls Aron's mother, she tells him she called Aron but he didn't answer so she left a message but again, he didn't reply. The police call his dad to know her son's license number plate but he gives the wrong number. Later knowing the information was wrong, Aron’s mom remembered where his son bought the truck and called the police to know her son’s license plate number. Which later he gave to the police the real one. Brion after finding a list of places Aron wanted to visit, he gave it to the police, by tracking down his truck, a police search strated. He was found by a family that was hiking. They helped Aron to reach the helicopter that was around the area.

P. Summarize how Aron was found.

R. Aron was found thanks to the information given by some of his friends like the list of places he wanted to visit, by tracking his vehicle based on his truck's license number and by narrowing down the location where his car was parked, also, thanks to the family that found him.

P. How is Aron first voice?

R.     The first voice appears after he makes a mistake and makes him feel bad.

P. How is Aron second voice?

R.     The second voice it's calm and it helps or comforts him.

P. How is Aron’s life after the accident?

R. After the accident, Aron had to take 18 (eighteen) different medicines everyday, he had fifteen operations and later, has a prosthetic arm. Just two days before his 28 (twenty-eight) birthday he returns to Blue John Cayon with some friends including Kristi. There, they filmed the place where the accident happened. Before leaving, he took some time to look at the dates he had written on the walls.

P. What are Aron’s visions?

R. In order his vision are…

1. His friends. His friends appear and wave him towards them and finds himself in a place he has been before. They smile but they don't speak.

2. Aron as a child with his family. Sees himself as a child playing cards with his grandfather, and him running across a greenfield with friends.

3. Future Aron and his future son. Sees himself walking alone through the canyon wall and to the other side is a living room, he steps inside and looks around,  when a little boy appears running across the living room laughing. Later, him and his son dance together. In this, Aron sees that he doesn't have a right arm.

P. How many times does Aron attempt to amputate his arm?

R. He tries to amputate his arm three times.

P. Describe Aron’s attempts to amputate his right arm.

R. 1. In chapter 5, Aron presses the knife against the skin of his arm but doesn't have the courage to go through with it, so he drops the knife.

2. In chapter 8, he ties the tourniquet around his arm and tightens it, grabs the multi-tool, opens the shorter side of the knife and pushes hard into his arm. The knife goes all the way in and makes a deep hole one. He pulls it out and is able to see his bones through the hole in his arm.

3. In chapter 10, he realizes his arm is death and decides to break it with his own weight. He ties the tourniquet and begins to cut, he continues until the knife hits rock on the other side of his arm and then falls.

P. What objects are mentioned in the novel?

R. Boulder, backpack, water bottle, CamelBack, 2 burritos, webbing, rope, CD player, digital camera, camcorder, raven, watch, carabiner.

P. Explain the purpose of some of the objects mentioned.

§  Boulder, Big heavy rocks which are stuck between the canyon walls.

§  Backpack, Carries all his equipment.

§  Multi-tool, Has two sides with knifes, they are used to chip at the boulder.

§  Watch, Knows the time because of it.

§  Rope and webbing with carabiner, Are used to lift the boulder.

§  Headlamp, Elastic head band with a light on it.

P. What are the digital camera and camcorder used for?

R.     With the digital camera, he takes pictures of what he sees and with the camcorder, he records himself and leaves a message for his loved ones. Both are used to document his experience.

P. What does the raven do? What does Aron feel for the raven?

R. The raven is a sign of hope for Aron, the sound of the raven's wings flapping motivated him to continue because he wanted to be free again like the raven, for a few days it appeared at the same time.

P. What title would you use for the novel? What alternative title do you propose?

R. Breaking Point, because it refers that Aron reaches the limits of his physical and psychological endurance, and how he eventually resorts to the decision of amputating his arm to survive.

P. What are Aron's escape plans?

R. His plans are…

1.        Chip at the boulder using the multi-tool’s knife.

2.      Try to lift the boulder using his equipment such as webbing, carabiner and headlamp.

3.      Amputate his arm using the multi-tool’s knife, the plastic pipe from the CamelBack, the carabiner.

P. What themes does the novel explore?

R. It explores themes like:

§  Anxiety, fear, despair and isolation… Aron's entrapment shows the psychological struggles of being isolated from the world.

§  Hope, perseverance and resilience… Aron's determination to free himself, despite the dangerous situation he’s in, demonstrates his mental strength and will power to face adversity.

§  Redemption and guilt… Aron reflects on his past decisions and relationships making him change his perspective about life focusing on what truly matters which is his family and friends.  

P. Summarize the novel in three events         .

1.        Aron is hiking alone in Blue John canyon when a boulder falls and traps his arm against a wall.

2.      For several days, Aron faces extreme physical and psychological challenges as he tries to free himself.

3.      Aron decides to amputate his arm to free himself after recording a family video. When suddenly a family appears and helps him. With their help, he is rescued by a helicopter, flown.

P. What does the title mean?

R. It refers to the amount of time Aron was trapped in Blue John Canyon. It is not the exact amount of time just an approximation.

P. Who are the characters?

R. Aron Ralston, Brion After (Aron's boss), Donna (Aron's mom), Steve Pratchett (Aron's climbing friend) Eric, Monique and Andy (family that found Aron), his dad and Sonja (Aron's family), Brian, Joe and Leona (Aron's housemates), Kristi and Megan (girls that he found on his way to the Blue John Canyon).

P. Where does the story occur or happen?

R. It’s in Canyonlands National Park, Southeast Utah, USA.

P. Summarize the novel

R. An adventure holiday turns into a catastrophic accident leading a man to face a life-or-death situation ultimately demonstrating human resilience.

P. Describe how Aron attempts his first plan.

R. In chapter 3, with the dull larger side of the knife, Aron chips at the boulder. IN chapter 4, He continues chipping at the boulder and manages to remove a space of the rock. Switching to a different side of the multi-tool he hits the boulder as hard as he can and a piece of rock falls onto his trapped arm. He stops chipping because his left arm hurts and because he is frustated realizing it won’t be enough to free his arm.

P. Describe how Aron attempts his second plan.

R. In chapter 5, he throws the rope above a sharp rock above him, after several attempts he succeeds and ties one of the ends of the rope around the boulder. He pulls the boulder but it doesn't move and puts more weight on it but it stays still. Spends hours trying to lift but it doesn’t work.