Perspective

The White Spider is an historical account, and the author strives for accuracy. However, he also filters his accounts of the North Face of the Eiger through his personal perspective on climbing. Harrer admires climbing as a virtuous activity that elicits all the best and healthiest aspects of the human spirit, and so he admires climbers as the best of men. Harrer seeks to show climbers in this light, praising the courage and aptitude that they show and focusing on mountaineers as a community of brothers. Throughout his account, he defends climbing and seeks to ease any disputes within the climbing community, spreading praise on the factions of guides and climbers alike.

The account of the successful 1938 ascent of the North Face is told in first person, from Harrer's personal perspective. He includes his own thoughts and experiences during the ascent. One notable moment is when Fritz Kasparek...