View from the Side: Book Review (The Revenant)

My Second Book of 2016

‘The Revenant’ is based on the true story of Hugh Glass, an American trapper for the Rocky Mountain Fur Company in 1823. The book is a man’s book. Almost all the characters are male with the exception of a native Indian woman who eventually died in the company of Glass.

While hunting, Glass encountered a grizzly bear and gets ripped apart. He was mortally wounded and his death was certain. He was left for dead but the Captain paid two of his colleagues to stay with him until the day that he dies to give him a decent burial. However, as the days went by, he remained alive. With the threat of Native Indians that might pass their way, his colleagues abandoned him. At first, he did not took the abandonment personally. But when they took his only shield for any attack, he felt a strong urge for revenge. For him (and for me, too!), that’s totally unforgivable to steal his only treasures in life: a rifle and a knife as well as possibles sack with flint and steel.

Against all odds, half-dead and unable to stand, he literally crawls his way across hundreds of miles of treacherous and hostile environment to bring justice to what they did to him. His pursuit of revenge to those who had wronged him, gave him the strength and courage to survive.  Accordingly, he told others that the only thing that kept him going was the thought of killing the men who had left him for dead.

As I read the book, I couldn’t believe that a person could survive the harsh environment with a threat not only from other people but also wild animals and treacherous terrain. I might not live for a day or for an hour even if I am not wounded!!! 

The book is not only a fascinating story of revenge, but it is also a story of the survival instincts of man and the extent of his determination to achieve his goal (in this case, retribution or revenge). In addition, it is also a historical book detailing the life during the American West/Frontier of the 1820’s. 

There are many unbelievable scenes or events illustrated in the book, but they were all based on facts according to the Author. I think that Glass’s survival was incredible and unbelievable, but I strongly believe it was more of a miracle.  The real essence of the book is that "God works in mysterious ways".
Did Glass able to exact his revenge? For those who will read the book or watch the movie, I don't want to be a spoiler.  For those who will not read/watch and interested to know, please drop me a message at my email address: merlinagp@gmail.com.

About the Author

Michael Punke serves as the U.S. Ambassador to the World Trade Organization in Geneva, Switzerland.  He has also served on the White House National Security Council Staff and on Capitol Hill.  He was formerly the history correspondent for Montana Quarterly and an adjunct professor at the University of Montana. His family home is in Montana.

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