1) Throughout Percy’s essay, there are differences between the groups of tourists at the Grand Canyon, and the tourists in Mexico. The groups of tourists at the Grand Canyon all have ways of seeing and experiencing their trips to the Grand Canyon. However, they all tie together in the theme of recovery that Percy is trying to demonstrate throughout the essay. I could see how the examples progressed, each had a more unique way of going about the traditional viewing of the sight. First, to get off the beaten track. Next to watch other tourists and say to yourself “I do not want to be like them.” Then he progressed in the thinking of embracing the moment in a tragic or uncommon situation. Lastly, he moved on to not only embrace the moment, but to not follow the plan and go against what the leader is telling the tourists. Walker Percy then moved on to the tourists in Mexico. I feel that this was a deliberate progression to illustrate, people who went against what everyone else does in their travels and embraced a situation to make it unique. However, Percy wanted the reader to see that these tourists still have their flaws. The tourists questions the authenticity of their experience. I found the transition from tourists to students more difficult to understand. One possible thought that occurred was, Percy could have wanted the reader to question their own way of learning and experiencing because they too are students.

2) The major theme of this essay is loss. Percy constantly mentions people trying to regain something. This loss that Percy chronicles as a matter of concern is, a unique “fresh” way of taking in an experience. I feel he is trying to represent all of society’s interests, from the old man, family of tourists, to the students. I feel Walker Percy wants all people to not be forced to do something, rather he wants them to seek out an experience, enjoy it and thoroughly embrace it.

3) I feel Percy did not turn to first-person accounts of people that had been to the Grand Canyon or to statements by actual students or teachers because everyone has their own interpretation of what fully embracing a unique experience “it” really is. In order for the reader to have an open mind about what people can and can’t do, he did not limit the essay to actual first person accounts. Percy could have wanted the reader to ask themselves what they would have done in the different situations rather than examine a statement made by a specific person.