Essay/Term paper: Delieverance

Essay, term paper, research paper:  Cliff Notes

Delieverance: Disorientation Leads to Knowledge:  James Dickey"s novel
Deliverance is an action packed journey of four city men into the unknown. While
on the journey, the men are faced with many life-changing obstacles. Each of the
men takes on these obstacles differently and each comes out with different
results.

James Dickey"s novel Deliverance is an action packed journey of four city
men into the unknown. While on the journey, the men are faced with many
life-changing obstacles. Each of the men takes on these obstacles differently
and each comes out with different results. How they chose to take on these
obstacles depended on the mindset of the individual. Even though the four men
attacked the obstacles in a different way, the four men all embarked on the same
journey of education. Throughout the journey, the four mean learn their
strengths and weaknesses, and the risks and rewards of nature.

Before the four journeymen set off, they all seem self confident and self
satisfied. Once they begin the journey they learn their limitations. Lewis was
the ideal leader, always prepared and in tiptop shape. With all of this, Lewis
believed he was invincible and could overcome any challenge he faced. He soon
learned that his beliefs were untrue after breaking his leg when his canoe
overturned on a set of rapids. With a broken leg, Lewis was unable to perform as
the leader thus becoming a failure to his morals. As the journey began, Bobby
was an arrogant middle aged male. After he was raped and bewildered by the
hillbilly, he would never be the same. He was afraid that the other members of
the group would tell people about the attack and ruin everything he had. Bobby
would never forget about the rape and the chance of others finding out thus
showing his true weakness. Bobby and Lewis both went into the journey believing
in their strengths and left knowing their weaknesses.

The men set out on the journey hoping for a break from city life, and to have
a chance at a little excitement. What they did not know was that there are two
sides to being in the nature. There are the risks and rewards. A cliff was the
risk that Ed had to overcome to get to the reward. While climbing the steep rock
wall, Ed wanted to quit, but never gave up. When Ed reached the top, and he had
conquered the cliff, nature rewarded him with the most spectacular view Ed had
ever witnessed. Drew"s risk was the entire idea of the journey. Drew was a
moral man, who did not like to take risks. Even though Drew took on the risks of
the nature, he never received his reward. When a risk is taken, there is always
the chance of failure, and this was an example with Drew. Ed and Drew both found
that nature has many rewards to offer but risks must be taken to view them.

All four of the journeymen learned something from nature. After Lewis broke
his leg, he learned that nature was always in control, not him. Before the
journey, Lewis always believed he was in control. Bobby only knew the ways of
the city. After the attack from the hillbillies, he knew the ways of nature.
Even though Drew died and never actually learned from nature, the other men
learned from him. From the other men"s perspectives, they learned that Drew
was the best of them, and they should strive to be more like him. Ed had the
most encounters with nature so he learned many different skills. The most
important skill was to always respect nature and its power. The skills that the
men learned from the nature will always be remembered.

The novels adventure takes the four journeymen through a journey of
education. Each of the men learned new strengths and weaknesses about
themselves. They also learned that nature is always in control. Some of the men
took on the challenges and succeeded and others failed. There was much to be
learned on the men"s journey into the unknown.