Mariutto 1 David Mariutto PUP 3203 Dr.

Jacques 2/12/09 The Monkey Wrench Gang Book Review Environmental activism is viewed from a different perspective, author Edward Abbeys, in The Monkey Wrench Gang. The story follows an eclectic group of citizens: a Vietnam veteran, a polygamy-practicing Mormon, a general surgeon, and his feminist receptionist on their anti-infrastructure and development campaign in the American Southwest. Bypassing the usual, legal action afforded to citizens, including lobbying and public protest, the gang opts for more direct action against developmentits destruction. As the plot progresses, the individual and group actions of the characters quickly evolve from low-key vandalism to outright destruction. For example, The Mormon, Seldom Seen Smith prays for a little pre-cision earthquake at the site of the Glen Canyon Dam, while Doctor Sarvis and Bonnie torch billboards along Route 66 during the introduction of the novel. These actions later grow into an elaborate attempt of the demolishment of the White Canyon and Dirty Devil bridges in Utah. The perspectives of Edward Abbey on the environment and United States politics come to light not just through the gangs intense, illegal actions for their crusade against the building of infrastructure, but from their sillier, comical and less destructive ones as well. In The Monkey Wrench Gang, there are two major plots for the destruction of expensive, vital pieces of infrastructure that are carried out. The first is the destruction of an automated train and railroad track that delivers coal from a strip mine to a nearby power

Mariutto 2 plant. When plotting to carry out their plans, members of the Gang elaborate on why they believe the track should be destroyed, and what its existence means to them. Dr. Sarvis considers the potential damage in the most detail: the devastation of landscape, the destruction of Indian homes and Indian grazing lands, Indian shrines and Indian burial grounds; the poisoning of the last big clean-air reservoir in the forty-eight contiguous United States, the exhaustion of precious water supplies. Sarvis thoughts on the coals effects on the local ecosystem are very descriptive, and illustrate the fourth law of ecology because of a thorough description of developments consequences. In addition, the impact to humans surrounding the power plant has been limited to Indians, and serves as a demonstration of the governments policy towards environmental justice. Interestingly, one of the most insightful perspectives into the local citizens attitudes towards the coal plant comes from an elderly, gas station attendant. After Hayduke asks the attendant how he feels about the plant, he responds, Why we got more air around heren ary man can breathe. As his conversation with Hayduke carries on, readers learn about the attendants view of members of the Sierra Club as outsiders, who have no authority over our air. The old man fails to comprehend the impact the power plant could have on air quality further to the west, outside of the immediate region. His belief in the infinite availability of clean air is an example of Garrett Hardens Tragedy of the Commons because of his attitude towards the air, a common pool resource, and serves as a case of the environmental complacency Abbey frequently describes throughout the novel. In between these intense missions of sabotage, Abbeys political perspectives continue reveal themselves. While visiting the Kaibab Plateau to observe the effects of

Mariutto 3 logging, Bonnie and Hayduke pull to the side of the road to vandalize a life-size Smokey Bear sign. In the narration, Abbey adds that, in 1968, the United States Congress made it a Federal offense to desecrate, mutilate, or otherwise improve any official representation of Smokey the Bear. Though the use of this short act of vandalism, Abbey sends a message concerning the inequality of the governments treatment of different modes of the destruction of trees. While the government has approved of the clear cutting of trees within the national forest, it also encourages the protection of trees from forest fires, potentially because only the latter makes money for the Forest Service. In addition, there is irony to be found in the fact that the United States Congress has make it a specific crime to vandalize Smokey Bear, a mascot for the Forest Service, but less-stringent protections exist for the actual forest currently being clear-cut. Abbeys distrust of the government can also be seen in Bishop Loves so-called Search and Rescue team. Despite the original purpose of their squad, Love and his team actively seek to apprehend the Gang for their crimes. Love serves to symbolize the numerous conflicts of interests from within the government that hinder its proper functioning. For instance, Love is insistent on not calling for backup when involved in a road chase with Hayduke. This is because Love has future political ambitions, and believes that being personally responsible for the apprehension the Gang can boost his public profile. In addition, the Bishop holds stakes in many energy and development industries that would be hurt by further environmental activism. During the introduction of Bishop Love to readers, Smith recants a prior experience in which he prevented a development project in which Love stood to gain at least a million dollars: He wanted a forty-nine-year lease on a section of state land overlooking Lake Powell. Had in mind some kind of tourist

Mariutto 4 development: summer homes, shopping center, airfield and so on. Bishop Love serves as Abbeys archetype of a corrupt politicians roots and personal interests interfering with the good of the publicand the environment. Messages such as these combine together to allow us to construct a representation of Abbeys views on government and environmental policy. Most prominently, themes of environmental injustice, public attitudes towards pollution and industrialization, and government doublespeak are presented to readers as the current evils of our society that must be remedied. Abbey is often considered a desert anarchist, whose perspectives are similar to Henry David Thoreau. Like Abbey, Thoreau believed that there was an acceptable balance between civilization and nature. For example, while conservation could be practiced on private land, preservation should always be in effect on land owned by the people. This hearkens back to the scene in The Monkey Wrench Gang at the Kaibab Plateau. There, Bonnie asks Hayduke about the clear-cutting in process, questioning the morality of doing so on public land: I mean like if all that was a national foresta national forestthen it belonged to us, right? Abbey further embraced Throeau in his emphases on the need for less government and more equality between races. However, the latter manifests itself in a different context. While Thoreau was more outspoken against slavery and other racially-charged activities such as the poll-tax, Abbeys chief cause for equality is in the environmental justice movement. For Abbey, these beliefs mean freedom stands for the peoples ability to make their own decisions concerning the use of their environment, instead of leaving it in the hands of legislators. This is because, to Abbey, politicians often have no personal connection to the ecosystems which they impact every day with their decisions, with the exception of their

Mariutto 5 wallets. Also, in his ideal scenario of little government, people of other countries or regions will feel a greater sense of responsibility for their neighbors resources because of an understanding of their regions interconnectedness, thereby avoiding the attitudes found in Abbeys gas station attendant. In other words, our system of federalism has resulted in so many districts and states that a citizen of Nevada may not understand the environmental impacts a new coal plant there may have on California, Utah, Arizona and other states. Abbey believes that by eliminating these many unnecessary borders, environmental action can occur on a much meaningful level. The Monkey Wrench Gang is a book about why this new freedom is needed, and the consequences of not implementing it in the near future.