Alive

Roberto Canessa is not a likeable man. He is a medical student and a member of the rugby team who is thrust into an impossible situation. In the immediate aftermath of the crash, his medical expertise is required to save lives. Although Canessa is not even close to completing his training as a doctor, he does what he can. He tends to the wounded and heals whomever can be healed, but there are limits to his abilities. Canessa quickly emerges as one of the most important figures in the group. He has medical knowledge and is one of the men chosen to make the expedition to civilization. This status gives him many privileges among the survivors, and he readily abuses those privileges.

While Parrado continues to work despite not being required to, Canessa becomes irritable and corrosive. He is rude and obnoxious while relying on his privileged status to get him out of any difficult situations. Even after the failed expeditions, he maintains his sense of superiority. He delays again and again when he needs to set off for the final trek. Canessa’s irritable outer personality masks a deeper fear. He is rude and aggressive to avoid drawing close to anyone. If he does not form any close social bonds, then he has less to lose in the dangerous situations. Canessa invents reasons not to set off on the expedition because he is scared of dying. He never says this aloud and uses his anti-social behavior to distract people from his fear. Canessa eventually makes it down the mountain but almost dies in the process. Canessa succeeds in rescuing the men at the crash site, even if he never quite addresses the fear and trauma at the heart of his anti-social behavior. 

Carlitos Paez is a rugby player and a crash survivor who undergoes a positive change based on his failures. Paez is one of the men considered for the expedition back to civilization, but he must undergo a test hike to show his capacity beforehand. He fails this test miserably and almost suffers a complete breakdown during the trek. Carlitos returns to the crash site, and although he is initially ashamed of his failure, he quickly makes peace with his own inadequacy. He understands that the scope of his failure will benefit the group as he will not endanger the expedition. Carlitos develops a better understanding of himself, his limits, and his function within the group. He dedicates more time to providing moral support, and his optimism remains constant during the remainder of the ordeal. Carlitos is one of many characters who undergo a traumatic experience and use this suffering to educate themselves and improve. He emerges from the failed hike as a more valuable and more dependable member of the group. This change allows him to better contribute to the group’s survival. 

Roy Harley functions as a corresponding character to Carlitos Paez. Whereas Carlitos undergoes a positive transformative after the failed hike, Roy suffers from a huge breakdown. Roy is also considered for the main expedition and must prove himself. He also fails but not nearly to the degree that Carlitos failed. Indeed, Roy was instrumental in encouraging Carlitos to endure the pain and return to the camp. His failure was not total, and he could draw many positives from the experience. Yet Roy fails to focus on these positives. He focuses only on his weaknesses, and soon his confidence is in pieces. Roy cannot recover from the incident. He fails to grow and change as Carlitos does. The issue is compounded when he is assigned the task of fixing the radio. Roy insists that he has no mechanical skills, but the other survivors will not take no for an answer. His limited experience is deemed the most out of anyone, so the radio becomes his duty. Roy begs and pleads not to be given the responsibility, particularly because he has not recovered from the failed trek. When he inevitably cannot get the radio working, Roy feels even more like a failure. He survives the ordeal on the mountainside but is forced to confront his worst demons. Whereas Carlitos draws positively from his failure, Roy endures only negative emotions. The two men are opposites which demonstrate the fine edge on which many people’s mental health is balanced.