Short Story Top Man By Paul Osborn
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First and foremost, it is human nature to bestow gratitude upon those who act selflessly. In the short story “Top Man” by James Ramsey Ullman, Paul Osborn nearly “[hurtles]” off of the Himalayan mountain K3, instead allowing Martin Nace to “[lurch] forward and downward” into the abyss of K3 (Ullman 107). Osborn then “[climbs] the steep chimney” of snow ahead to trek to the summit, planting Nace’s axe “in [the] rock and ice, and on its steel head were the engraved words: TO MARTIN FROM JOHN” (107). When one performs a selfless act for another, the other will feel obliged to show their gratitude in some way. More often than not, the receiver of the selfless act tries to surpass the selfless act in greatness, and Osborn attempts the same when