Many people face pain and hardships throughout life and learn to accept reality using courage and strength. In the “Long Way Home” an excerpt from Miracle in the Andes, Nando Parrado faces many hardships. In the beginning of the novel Nando is heartbroken due to the fact that his plane has crashed in the Andes Mountains, and that many people including his best friends, and his mother, and sister have died. His thoughts haunt him, telling him to survive, and not “waste tears”, as they will be needed for his survival. Nando remembers his father and his heart fills with joy; he imagines how is father must be feeling, after hearing the news of the crash. He quietly whispers to his father “I am alive”. Nando describes the mountains being very strong and powerful, and lacking warmth. Nando vows to his father that he will ‘come home”, no matter how long it takes, and how worse the conditions become. Nando faces many difficulties as the story progresses, but his promise to his father gives him courage and strength to keep on going instead of giving up. “We all knew our fight for survival would be uglier and more harrowing than we had imagines, but we had made the declaration to the mountain that we would not surrender. In a small, sad way, I had taken a first step back toward my father.” Throughout the excerpt conditions worsen, many more of Nando’s friends die, and the food becomes scarce. With courage and strength, Nando decides that he must climb the mountain to save himself and reach home to his father. He takes a few friends with him for the journey. Along the way, he faces many hardships, but his determination and courage help him reach his goal. One day, Nando realizes that their pilot was wrong, and gave them incorrect information of “passing Curico”. As soon as he learns that his hopes shatter. In his thoughts he begins to think and realize that death has an opposite, which is love. As soon as he realizes this his fear of death “lifts”. “My fears lifted, and I…
