Point of View

A Rock and a Hard Place is a first-person narrative of Ralston's confinement in Blue John Canyon. His narration is direct and brutally honest, and he spares no detail. The narration from the canyon grabs the reader and holds him there until Ralston's release. Ralston truly shares the experience vividly with the reader.

Two timelines work in tandem through the first half of the book. Ralston alternates between his time in the canyon and his outdoor adventures leading up to that point. When the timelines merge, Ralston alternates from first- to third-person narration depending on the focus of his writing.

Setting

Ralston's story captures the attention of a world-wide audience. It is an incredible true story of man vs. nature, one of literature's classic themes.

Nature plays an important part in the setting of the book. Virtually the entire book takes place in the American West...