The Grip of the Past Summary and Analysis

A puzzling consideration for the author is the hand's ability to be adept at rock-climbing and piano-playing. For example, the hand's optimal position over a keyboard is a gentle curve like that poised over the top of a basketball. On a rock face, however, the hand's optimal strength lies in its grip. Where touch of the pianist's hand on a piano key is less than three ounces, strength of the climber's grip on a rock face can be eighty pounds per square inch. Piano keystrokes can reach 20 per second in succession but one grip on a rock can last 40 seconds. Ironically, the human hand is a tool that functions at a wide variety and range of speed and strength.

Wilson's boyhood friend David is raised by a pioneering farmer father and academic mother...