Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors by Piers Paul Read l Summary & Study Guide (5 page)

Section Thirteen
Summary and Analysis

Wednesday, December 20th was a
turning point for the survivors in the Fairchild. It was the ninth day since
the expedition had set out and the
expeditionaries
had brought just ten days worth of food. Therefore, their rescue was imminent
or would not occur at all. They went about their daily chores with an overall
sense of pessimism. Christmas was quickly approaching and they had all hoped to
be home for the holiday.
Carlitos
and Daniel
Fernandez both had strong feelings that
Canessa
and
Parrado
had been successful, but there was no evidence
aside from their gut feelings.

The next morning, on day
seventy-one, they used the transistor radio to listen to the news. There they
discovered a beautiful sound- it was reported that two of the Fairchild's
passengers had walked out of the Andes. Their friends had survived to tell
their story. The men began to celebrate their salvation. They smoked cigars and
cleaned themselves as much as was possible. They tidied the cabin and waited.
They began to have irrational fears that something might go wrong at the last
minute. One such concern was another avalanche. This was the thought when they
heard a terrible sound accompanied by a white froth, but it was just
Fito
releasing the plane's fire extinguisher.

That afternoon, amid strong
winds, the helicopters arrived. They did not evacuate the survivors
immediately. Instead they dropped off packages and additional men to help the
survivors. The first man who arrived was an
Andinist
,
Sergio Diaz, accompanied by a medical orderly. Fernandez and
Mangino
were the first of the survivors to be evacuated.
Carlitos
Paez
,
Algorta
, Eduardo and
Inciarte
came next. The helicopters held the maximum load possible. Delgado,
Sabella
, Francois,
Vizintin
,
Zerbino
, Harley and
Fito
remained
below with the
Andinists
and medical orderly. It had
taken
Parrado
and
Canessa
ten days to reach the cattle post, but it took the helicopters just fifteen
minutes. The survivors were examined by the medical team that awaited them and
given nourishment. The first eight survivors were flown to San Fernando, and
the other survivors had to wait until the following day for their rescue. In
this way, the helicopters were used productively, and the people were cared for
without incurring any undue danger.

Bittersweet feelings swept over
the parents when the survivors' names were finally read. Some, such as
Paez
.,
were rewarded for their constant faith. Others who had believed equally hard
were disappointed to find that their loved ones didn't survive. Still others,
who had given up months before, were shocked to have their family members
return. The survivors were brought to the hospital of St. John of God in San
Fernando for care. Most were carried or wheeled in, but
Parrado
insisted that he be permitted to walk in on his own two feet. He also demanded
a bath and food. The patients were in surprisingly good condition. Broken bones
were straightened and set. Lacerations were treated. Bodies were nourished.
Perhaps the most important job belonged to Father Andres Rojas who sat with the
men. He heard their confessions and offered them the first peace they had felt
in a truly long time.

Section Fourteen
Summary and Analysis

After the first eight survivors
had flown away, the rest of the crash survivors returned to the Fairchild. They
had hoped that they would also be rescued on that day, but as the sun set they
realized they would have to wait one more day. The talked with and ate food
prepared by the
Andinists
. The survivors invited
their guests to join them in their cabin. This openness would later prove to be
a mistake as the
Andinists
shared details of their
suffering with the media. For now, though, the
Andinists
politely declined and pitched their own tent nearby. Diaz was summoned back by
the survivors, who felt that someone should stay with them. During the night
Diaz told the survivors of his adventures in the mountain and they told him
their collective story as well. Diaz warned them that people at home would not
be comfortable with the idea of cannibalism. The men had just done what was
necessary to survive and it had not occurred to them that anyone would object.
The sleepless night brought a morning full of hope. The men knew
without
 
a
doubt that
they would be rescued on that day

At ten o'clock the helicopters
returned for Roy Harley, Bobby Francois, Gustavo
Zerbino
,
Javier
Methol
,
Fito
Delgado,
Sabella
, and
Vizintin
.
At base camp the survivors were examined and deemed healthy enough to travel
straight to the Public Assistance Hospital in Santiago, bypassing the hospital
in San Fernando. It was
now
 
December
23. The survivors were reunited with each other and with
their families. They made a public statement thanking God and their rescuers
for their return. A healing mass was held for the survivors in the church that
adjoined the hospital. The majority of the survivors were then moved to the
local hotel to celebrate the Christmas holiday.

It was not easy to slip back into
the lives they had left behind. Aside from their physical suffering, the men
had psychological repercussions as well. They were used to silence, and
everyone around them seemed to want to diagnose or fix something. The world
seemed superficial and needlessly excessive, which was difficult for those who
had lived so minimally. The majority of the survivors had grown in their belief
in God and wanted to share that message, even if that was not an interest of
some before the crash. Family members needed to adjust to the character changes
in the young men. The family members also found it difficult to accept that the
men had survived by eating human flesh, a fact that could not be ignored as it
made headlines in all of the local journals.

Section Fifteen
Summary and Analysis

Following the Christmas holidays
the men and their families returned to Montevideo. Amid many rumors, they
decided to hold a conference. The group was represented by the remaining
members of the Old Christian team:
Canessa
,
Zerbino
, and
Vizintin
. Each boy had
a topic to address. The discussion of cannibalism was left up to
Pancho
Delgado, who delivered an eloquent speech. If there
had been any lingering doubt of their motives, Delgado made it clear that their
actions were completed with the utmost of reverence for their departed friends.
The whole room listened intently and let up a cheer after he finished speaking.

Many of the survivors drifted
into obscurity, which suited them well. Delgado continued to attend interviews
and speak publicly when asked.
Parrado
had come close
to death, conquered it, and learned the depths of his strength. While he
believed in God, he now also believed in his own abilities much more so than
when he left for the rugby tournament. He felt that he deserved the excitement
life afforded him. He partied with women and drove fast cars. This unseemly
spree lasted for a while, and then
Parrado
returned
to work and the life he knew before the crash.

Twenty-nine of the forty-five
original passengers and crew on the Fairchild did not return. The families of
those lost in the crash treated the survivors with respect and love upon their
return. They were an extended family of sorts. The formal investigation of the
Fairchild's crash placed the blame with the pilot, who had begun a premature
descent into Santiago while still flying over the Andes. In 1973, government
officials erected a grave for the remains of the deceased. It is located about
half a mile from the site of the crash and is sheltered from geological
activity. It is marked with a cross and inscription.

Important People

Roberto
Canessa

Roberto
Canessa
was one of the two survivors to walk out of the cordillera in search of help.
Along with Fernando, he hiked for ten days over multiple mountains to find
civilization. Prior to this hike,
Canessa
survived
inside the cabin of the Fairchild for approximately two months. The conditions
inside the fuselage were primitive at best. They had no food or protection. The
survivors persevered by eating the frozen bodies of those who perished. This
was not an easy task, but it was necessary. It was
Canessa
who brought this to the attention of the group and ate the first piece of
flesh. His mind had to conquer his physical revulsion and swallowing was
difficult. After doing this, he was convinced that he had the will to survive.
The others admired his determination, but he was not always easy to like. At
home
Canessa
had been a second-year medical student.
In his favor he possessed some rudimentary medical skills that were essential
for the survival of his peers. He was ingenious and created hammocks and
mittens for everyone. If his personality was as admirable as his knowledge, he
would have been great company. Unfortunately this was not the case.
Canessa
was tense, and this made him argumentative. He was
not selfish but he was often impatient and this led to misunderstandings with
the others. The only person who could accommodate
Canessa's
stubborn streak was
Parrado
, who physically
overpowered him.
Parrado's
encouragement and
Canessa's
faith in God helped him to complete the difficult
journey. For most of their hike through the Andes,
Canessa
focused on God and prayed continually.
Canessa's
thoughts also turned to his long-time girlfriend, Laura
Surroco
,
with whom he was reunited upon his return.

Fernando
Parrado

Fernando
Parrado
was one of the two survivors to walk out of the cordillera in search of help.
After surviving freezing and squalid conditions inside the damaged cabin of the
Fairchild for approximately two months, he and Roberto
Canessa
hiked for ten days to reach civilization. They had become stranded after the
plane on which they were traveling crashed in the Andes
mountains
.
Parrado
lost his mother in the crash and his sister
succumbed to her injuries a few days later. He was determined to return home to
his father.
Parrado
was extremely strong. Prior to
the crash he was an avid rugby player, which prepared his body physically for
the hardships of survival. Mentally he was strong as well. He was optimistic,
and this buoyed the spirits of his colleagues, many of whom were struck with
complete despair. He was determined to survive. He had many suggestions and was
willing to set the example by trying each one himself. His motto was to
practice what he preached. He believed that if they were to survive, it would
only be because they fought for their lives. He worked hard and helped the
others. He was well liked by all of the people that he encountered. After
surviving the crash, being stranded, and hiking out of the mountains,
Parrado
was confident. He had begun the journey as a
slightly awkward young man but grew in strength. While the other survivors
placed their faith in God,
Parrado
believed in God
but placed his faith in himself. Escaping the Andes
mountains
proved to him that anything was possible. He rewarded himself by living a life
full of parties and fast cars immediately upon his return. He had no committed
girlfriend and dated many women during this time. These behaviors dismayed some
of the other survivors, but it was as if
Parrado
needed to make up for being deprived and to prove to himself that he was truly
alive. After living this way for a while,
Parrado
eventually settled back into the life he had before the crash. He resumed his
original job and remained close to his father.

Survivors

The survivors ultimately included
Pedro
Algorta
, Roberto
Canessa
,
Alfredo Delgado, Daniel Fernandez, Roberto Francois, Roy Harley, Jose Luis
Inciarte
, Alvaro
Mangino
, Javier
Methol
, Carlos
Paez
, Fernando
Parrado
, Ramon
Sabella
, Adolfo
Strauch
, Eduardo
Strauch
, Antonio
Vizintin
and Gustavo
Zerbino
.
For the purposes of this section, we will refer to these men collectively as
the survivors. Many other passengers died in the crash or shortly thereafter
from injuries acquired in the crash. There were eight additional people who
survived the original crash but succumbed to an avalanche during the second
week. These sixteen men survived seventy days of below-freezing conditions in
the rudimentary shelter of the broken plane's fuselage. The survivors practiced
cannibalism and melted snow to survive.
Canessa
and
Parrado
were the most fit and eventually climbed out of the
Andes and returned with help for the others.