The Honest Truth

This section does not primarily advance the plot, but Mark takes readers through an emotional rollercoaster. From sadness to anger to loneliness, Mark’s emotions are powerful and competing for his attention. In particular, Mark’s anger has driven his more regrettable choices: snubbing the waitress’s kindness and his initial treatment of Shelby. While climbing the mountain, Mark directs the anger toward his loved ones for the first time: “My mom would never get to tuck me in, sure. But I would never be warm again. My dad would sit alone at a dark table. I was going to die alone in a snowstorm” (178). In the heat of anger, he doesn’t realize that his rationale blames them for wanting to give him things he voluntarily sacrificed by running away. He could be warm and not die in a snowstorm—though, even with those circumstances omitted, he doesn’t want to die. The compact whirlwind of emotions in Chapter 11 emphasizes how anger emerges from Mark’s pain. He’s grieved by the injustice of his situation: that he has to die young and that sickness consumed his childhood, marring any chance of true happiness. He doesn’t want to hurt anyone with his impulsive anger, but the emotion allows him to feel a brief sense of power over his otherwise uncontrollable life.

Mark’s rock-solid determination pushes him through the journey’s difficult obstacles. Still, while climbing the mountain, his willpower and physical body oppose one another. Gemeinhart highlights this tension with a sensory-rich sentence: “I didn’t know if tears could freeze. If they could turn to ice in your eyes and blind you. But they felt too hot to freeze” (180). The physical environment threatens to essentially freeze Mark’s eyes and cause him not to see the path ahead, but the depth of his emotions keeps his inner fire lit, as expressed here through hot tears. Mark’s headaches, too, blare warning signals, telling Mark to slow down and rest. He overcomes the headaches with mental perseverance, fueled by stubbornness and the ticking clock on his life.

Though Jessie and Mark appear to have different dilemmas, they struggle to discern the appropriate times for independence and asking for help. Throughout most of the story, Mark errs on the side of independence, even feeling offended when others offer unsolicited kindness. Jessie’s storyline shows that asking for help can be more difficult than holding secrets by herself; she knows that sharing the burden would provide relief, but she’s wary of the price. In Chapter 11 ½, Jessie has the first epiphany about independence after watching Mark’s mom force her husband to eat dinner: “[Jessie] saw people, lost and looking. How they help each other. Even when they don’t want to. Even when help isn’t wanted” (189). Jessie articulates the difficulty of helping someone who doesn’t want help, but she also witnesses the strength and comfort in overcoming challenges with loyal company.