The Honest Truth

Chapter 13 is intense and powerful, culminating multiple narrative themes in one scene. However, the novel’s climax occurs when Mark saves Beau from the crevasse. Beau has saved Mark time and time again throughout the story—from the bully incident to the river rapids—but when Beau is in danger, Mark feels the weight of Beau’s sacrifice: “Dogs die. But not my dog. Not like that” (209). When Mark used to ponder his own death, he stubbornly dwelled on death’s inevitability because even the purest beings—namely, Beau—would eventually die. However, instead of sensing Beau’s impending death and submissively accepting it, he fights for his dog’s life.

When Mark lies on his back with Beau panting on his stomach, a view of Mount Rainier suddenly opens, and the fog clears from his mind: “I knelt alone in the snow with death all around me, and I saw the mountain. Not alone. Beau was beside me, of course. And the mountain was before me” (212). Throughout his journey, Mark has felt the weight of loneliness; he only accepted kindness from Beau, whose motives he knew were pure. To Mark, the mountain is where he expects to discover a truth about himself or life, and in a sense, the mountain does give him some clarity. However, the epiphany doesn’t reveal some hidden part of his identity. Rather, he understands that he has never been truly alone throughout his difficult life, and his loved ones’ support has made all the difference. He isn't alone even on the mountain; Beau is there, and the mountain’s presence looms, but Mark also understands that his parents and Jessie are with him even on the lonely slope. This realization carries implications for how he perceives his independence, his turbulent emotions, and the purpose of living.

The epiphany on the mountain begins the narrative structure’s falling action, which continues through Mark’s admission to the hospital. The resolution commences when Mark wakes from unconsciousness and tells Jessie about his adventure. If Jessie worried about Mark discovering that she betrayed his secret—if indeed she did so—Mark now cares less about how Jessie chooses to care for him. Rather than worrying about the depth of Jessie’s loyalty, Mark trusts whatever decision she made, knowing she did it with his best interests at heart. In this final scene between Jessie and Mark, readers observe how Mark carries the lessons he learned into one of his most important relationships. Though Mark is still far from a full recovery, the story concludes on a hopeful note, suggesting that Mark has a renewed sense of life’s most important things. He can channel his determination into positive energy that can inspire the lives of many and, maybe if he’s very lucky, lengthen his own.