Touching the Void: A Religious Analysis The story of Joe Simpson's struggle to survive the descent from a dangerous fall in the Siula Grande is undoubtedly heroic and one spectacle of man's limitations. Although this story has been widely praised and adapted into both literary and cinematic forms, audiences debate the religious nature of Joe's experience on the mountain. Some argue that his experience was nothing more than self-realization, especially considering the fact that Joe is a self-proclaimed atheist. However, a self-realization experience is classified as a “fully veridical experience” (Stanford), and also highlighted as “realization of a capacity or aspect of our soul and, by extension, an aspect of our true nature as a Being” ( Nirmala ). For these reasons Joe's journey could not be anything other than a religious experience. During his journey, he experienced strong hallucinations and a guiding “voice,” which he was unaware of being part of himself or his subconscious. He refers to these as guiding forces that are in constant opposition to his natural instincts and firmly believes in the strength of these forces even after he is safe and in recovery. Joe Simpson's incredible struggle to survive the harsh conditions of the Andes is heavily influenced by forces that are undeniably aspects of a religious experience. Say no to plagiarism. Get a tailor-made essay on "Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned"? Get an original essay The first sign of his religious journey is his hallucinations, caused by suffering, fasting, and constant physical and mental pain. In many religions, fasting is a voluntary tradition that sometimes triggers religious experiences, however, in this case Joe's lack of food and water forced him to mentally transcend the realm of reality and fiction. The first step towards Joe's transformation is his attention to his physical needs. He states: “Water has become an obsession. Pain and water. That was my world. There was nothing else” (164). This narrowing of the mind is echoed in religious traditions of deprivation of physical needs, and the transcendence of this need leads to Joe's next experience, hallucinations. Joe hallucinates in many ways, sometimes waking up and not knowing where he is, sometimes imagining a song repeating over and over in his head, and even imagining that Simon is with him. He begins to lose his grip on reality when he can no longer distinguish his own voice from other imaginary voices. He recalls: “The murmured arguments jolted me awake and I wondered who I was talking to; many times I looked over my shoulder to see who they were, but they were never there” (179). The meaning of these hallucinations is not that Joe becomes unconscious, but that Joe is aware of other aspects of his world besides pain, suffering, and cold. During this mental struggle he becomes more in touch with himself and the depths of his mind and also reflects on the company in a new way. This hallucinatory hell is a revealing element of a religious experience, as he is no longer aware of his bodily self and proper mental well-being. Although Joe's hallucinatory episodes were a major factor in jump-starting his religious experience, the main and most notable factor in this event is "the voice." “The Voice” is something Joe refers to early and often during his painful descent, and it becomes his guide and lifeline during the most difficult parts of his journey. Although some may argue that this falls into the category of hallucinations, its.