Deliverance, by James Dickey, illustrates nature's incredible ability to transform a soft, suburban family man into a pain-resistant, animalistic creature. In order for this transformation to occur, however, Ed Gentry, the protagonist and narrator of the novel, is forced to forfeit his innocence to the merciless wild, seen in his vicious murder of the mountain man. Yet, Ed is only able to survive the formidable rapids because of this loss of innocence, for it ultimately allows him to develop an inhuman inner-strength that few can ever acquire. At first, however, Ed could hardly find it within him to overcome the pain and physical exertion associated with merely paddling down the river. As Ed sheds his innocence, however, he learns to ignore the physical trauma that constantly confronts the daring men. Shockingly, Ed's resistance to such trauma develops even further, for he proves to thrive in such physical anguish, which allows him, Bobby and Lewis to survive what appeared to be a one-way ticket to the graveyard. As a result of their survival, Dickey is able to illustrate his message to the reader: conquering nature requires a violation of one's morals, for this is truly the only way to shed the suburban innocence that often enslaves one such as Ed to the unforgiving wilderness. Through Ed's tragic loss of innocence, however, his body becomes less and less human, ultimately allowing him to coalesce with the ruthless wilderness as he develops an inhuman tolerance to the pain required for victory.
             Prior to Ed's journey up the treacherous cliff where he patiently stocks and kills the mountain man, his body proves to lack the strength needed to conquer the river. In the hectic scene where the men nearly drown in the rapidly flowing river, Ed can hardly muscle the strength to move: "I startled to struggle weakly...My body was heavy and hard to move without the tremendous authority of the rapids to h...