The monkey wrench gang summary. The Monkey Wrench Gang Characters 2023-01-01

The monkey wrench gang summary Rating: 9,4/10 874 reviews

The Monkey Wrench Gang is a novel written by Edward Abbey, first published in 1975. The story follows a group of four friends in the Southwest United States who come together to form the titular "monkey wrench gang." These friends, George Hayduke, Seldom Seen Smith, Doc Sarvis, and Bonnie Abbzug, are all rebels at heart and are fed up with the destruction of the natural environment at the hands of capitalist development and the government.

George Hayduke is a Vietnam War veteran and former Green Beret who has a deep love for the Southwest desert and a hatred for those who would destroy it. Seldom Seen Smith is a loner and a self-proclaimed philosopher who has a vast knowledge of the desert and its history. Doc Sarvis is a former doctor turned environmental activist who is fed up with the destruction of the natural world by modern society. Bonnie Abbzug is a feminist and environmental activist who joins the group to fight against the patriarchy and the destruction of the environment.

The Monkey Wrench Gang becomes infamous for their acts of sabotage against the development of the Southwest desert, including blowing up bridges and destroying construction equipment. As they carry out their mission, they are pursued by a variety of enemies, including the government, developers, and even a group of rednecks who call themselves the "Sons of the Pioneers."

Despite facing numerous challenges and setbacks, the Monkey Wrench Gang remains determined to protect the Southwest desert and the natural world. They are inspired by the idea of "monkeywrenching," which involves sabotaging or disrupting the operations of those who seek to destroy the environment.

Throughout the novel, the Monkey Wrench Gang grapples with their own moral dilemmas and debates the value of their actions. They recognize that their methods may be extreme, but they feel that they are justified in their efforts to protect the natural world from destruction.

In the end, the Monkey Wrench Gang achieves a partial victory when they are able to stop the construction of a dam that would have flooded a large portion of the desert. However, their story does not have a happy ending, as several members of the group are killed in the process and the battle to protect the environment is far from over.

Overall, The Monkey Wrench Gang is a powerful and thought-provoking novel that highlights the importance of preserving the natural world and the lengths that some people will go to in order to protect it. It is a cautionary tale about the dangers of capitalist development and the need to balance progress with the preservation of the environment.

Monkey Wrench Gang Summary Essay

the monkey wrench gang summary

I did like it, I just don't think it was the most compelling thing ever. Ironically, the resulting reservoir is rapidly drying up due to drought and lack of water conservation, achieving without explosives what the Monkey Wrench Gang so desired. He knew the critters like they were his friends. So that's a tragedy for their cause as well. George Hayduke is the most broadly drawn character of the novel. Less weird, more witty.

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Monkey Wrench Gang Summary

the monkey wrench gang summary

. The Monkey Wrench Gang is an adventurous novel about a gang of environmentalists who set out to destroy bulldozers, bridges, cars, trains, signs or anything that is destroying their beautiful country, the American southwest. Hell of a place. The characters to me, were essentially tragic ones. John Grady doesn't seem to fit into this new "city life" as evident in the novel. Doc gives up first because of his Hippocratic oath, and he helps Bishop Love, who has a heart attack.

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The Monkey Wrench Gang

the monkey wrench gang summary

The reader here is inclined to find out what exactly the motivation is for each of these characters. . . He detours briefly to Flagstaff, Arizona, to settle the score of his unjust arrest a few years prior. Doc Sarvis is a heart surgeon with a thriving medical practice whose wife has died.

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The Monkey Wrench Gang Characters

the monkey wrench gang summary

The New York Times. It was located in the Southwestern Great Plains of the United States, otherwise known as the Dust Bowl. Abbey cannot be readily categorized as left or right. He was about our AMERICAN LAND and he knew it, intimately. The falling action develops when Miles and Chip decide they are going to… Plague Year The novel begins with the introduction of the small town Ridgewood in New York.

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The Monkey Wrench Gang Summary

the monkey wrench gang summary

Ed walked the land and knew the land. The characters should be darker, less idealistic. Smith is divorced by his first two wives, but he stays together with Susan. After dropping Bonnie and Doc at the airport, Hayduke and Smith happen upon the dried-up remains of the Colorado River, which used to flow through Narrow Canyon. Abbey is critical of our consumer economy even though his characters have no trouble using it's products. The last date is today's date — the date you are citing the material.

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The Monkey Wrench Gang Book Summary, by Edward Abbey

the monkey wrench gang summary

Bonnie follows him out of loyalty to Doc. The Monkey Wrench Gang is on the move—and peaceful coexistence be damned! The gang reunites shortly thereafter and resumes planning and enacting raids throughout the region. The tone becomes one of curious expectancy, for the author has managed to hook the reader into his world. He goes to see his mothers play in the city and is given strange looks because he doesn't look like everyone else. The prologue of The Monkey Wrench Gang opens at the border of Utah and Arizona on the day that a new bridge is being dedicated. However, Silent Spring by Not quite I think anyways - Edward Abbey was a guy who lived in the southwest desert and did advocate for the environment.

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MONKEY WRENCH GANG SUMMARY

the monkey wrench gang summary

George Hayduke is battling some demons he brought home with him from Vietnam, Bonnie Abbzug is a compelling female character, by turns totally wimpy and willfully strong. She's compulsive and follows her heart's whims--she's smart, but perhaps not in a way that's very useful. To giv Giving this book 5 stars would probably put me on some sort of a list, but let's be honest: I'm already on that list. THE MONKEY WRENCH GANG, from 1975, is widely credited, or accused, of having started the "deep ecology" movement in the United States. These four characters meet during a river boat trip and start a chaotic ride as the foursome protest construction, strip mining, logging, oil drilling, and other industrial operations.

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The Monkey Wrench Gang Summary & Study Guide

the monkey wrench gang summary

The American government would certainly like you to think so. However I also believe that we don't need to grow and develop for it's own sake and I do think attitudes have changed somewhat since Abbey wrote this novel. How would they do it? You will find no tree huggers here, but people passionate about a cause that should concern us all. The citation above will include either 2 or 3 dates. I just felt that I had been tricked into agonizing over this character, who it turns out, wasn't really in too much trouble.

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