Get Caught in The Trap

Iraklis Pagounes

The Trap


By : John Smelcer


As Americans, we are extremely used to the extremely high standard of living which we enjoy daily. Whether that be hot water or cars, we rely on many luxuries that are not available to people in other parts of the country. In the depths of the Alaskan frontier, one does not depend on their iPhone to help them survive; they depend on their own survival instincts, and their determination to live. The main character, Johnny, has lived on the Alaskan frontier his entire life, surviving the long nights, where “His body [..] burns all of its fuel trying to stay warm”(124); but he has also enjoyed the “Beautiful clear nights”(94), where the suffering that he endures seems worth it. Johnny grew up with his grandparents, where his grandfather, Albert, had been living and conquering the Alaskan wilderness for as long as he can remember. Albert has much experience in hunting and decides one day to go and check his trap lines. To Johnny's surprise, his grandfather does not return. It starts to get dark and the temperature starts to drop so Johnny begins to worry.

This survival tale, where Johnny sacrifices his mind and body for his family, is an extremely engaging read. Although not every part of the book is a suspenseful moment Smelcer does an amazing job of allowing the reader to take in the Alaskan scenery through Johnny's eyes. Through his extremely strong diction and descriptive adjectives, the reader feels as if they too are experiencing the “[total silence, were] the only noise is the creaking trees in the wind”(94).

The main character, although the story is a bit outlandish, feels extremely grounded, and relatable to the reader. All of us, in one way or another, can relate to the sacrifice that he makes. I connect to Johnny because I too grew up with my grandparents. All throughout my childhood, I was always with my grandparents helping them out or just staying over because my parents were too busy with their own schedule. Growing up with my grandparents made a big impact on my life as I'm sure it did for Johnny.

Throughout this book, I felt that I was extremely engaged, with not only the overarching plot-line of a survival story but also with the progression of the main character. Smelcer dos an excellent job of describing the location and immersing the reader of the Alaskan experience using an overwhelming amount of details.

I would most definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoyed The Hatchet by Gary Paulsen or Call of the Wild by Jack London. It was an immersive read where I felt the weight of every decision that Johnny made keeping me interested all throughout.