Through the first few chapters the reader follows Abbey as he is installed in a small caravan on a hilltop with a spectacular view down at the desert and up at the mountain peaks. The basic theme of the book is the account of one of the seasons Abbey spent in the desert near the Colorado Plateau in Utah. Desert solitaire : Edward Abbey was park ranger at Arches National Monument in the late 1950s Desert Solitaire : A Season in the Wilderness – Brief Summary In addition a particular damming project in Glen Canyon along the Colorado River, receives much attention from the author, and the politicians and investors responsible for the project get their fair share of blame and sarcasm.This article will briefly examine the contents of Desert Solitaire and outline its major themes and implicit meanings.

The book portraits the joys and toils of the desert with its plants and creatures, and uses these wonders of untouched wilderness as a context in which to establish a critical comment on the American impulse to commercialize nature in the name of preservation. Desert Solitaire, which was published in 1968, is based on the journals kept by Abbey during his seasons at the Arches. While performing his duties during the summer season, Abbey lived alone in an old-fashioned caravan relatively far from the nearest permanent town of Moab.

Desert Solitaire: A Comment on Culture and Environment by E.Abbeyįor several seasons Edward Abbey worked as a ranger in what is today known as the Arches National Park in eastern Utah.

Desert Solitaire by Edward Abbey