Within the context of mythical mountains and journeys in the pursuit of enlightenment, both Daumal and de Maurier depict Mount Analogue and Monte Verita as the pinnacle of intellectual fulfillment. Like any voyage, there are a series of preparations one must make in order to be “ready” for the expedition. Those unfamiliar with the extreme sport of mountaineering and the call of the mountains, may only think of physical and technical provisions that must be made when preparing for an exposition. However, the narrators in Monte Verita and Mount Analogue tell a tale of the mental state one must possess and the feeling of being drawn by an internal force of divine proportions to the peaks.

Using “mountains as a metaphor” accurately captures the complex, multifaceted fundamental meanings portrayed within in the accounts in Monte Verita and Mount Analogue. While the story lines of each story differed dramatically, each possessed similar essential elements that are vague, yet inherently intricate. The concepts of immortality, mysticism implying a connection between earth and divine beings, and a greater understanding of life and one’s purpose are present in both stories. Both main characters are in search of something, not yet discovered in the beginning of the story but by the end they realized what they had been missing in life.

The concept of immortality is closely associated with the idea that both Monte Verita and Mount Analogue are places of spiritual importance and have myths surrounding their existence. Mount Analogue was regarded as the mountain “where the earth touches the sky” (de Maurier, p. 7). The mysticism surrounding the existence of the mountains created a point of contention between the characters of the books. It seemed as though the main character in both books were not sold on the idea that these mythical places even existed, yet there was a secondary character and/or comrade who appeared to guide the protagonist on his journey to enlightenment. The beginning of the protagonist’s spiritual expedition always started with the acceptance of the possibility of these mountains and their peaks existing.

At the start of each man’s journey, the narrators describe their call to the mountains as the driving force fueling their expedition to the mythical locations. Mountaineering allowed for each character to access their true selves and to see reality in a different perspective. Over time in de Maurier’s Monte Verita, the narrator explains how the way he viewed mountaineering changed. He “treated the mountains differently…..not as an enemy to conquer but as an ally to be won” (de Maurier, p. 272). The mountain took on an entity of sorts that demanded a certain level of respect, rather than just being regarded as inanimate.  Additionally, the characters in Mount Analogue showed a similar level of respect for mountains when a comrade stated that, “fantasy in high altitudes does not exist because reality is marvelous” (Daumal, p. 70).

The spiritual, yet strange intellectual journey continued in each story as the characters ascended up the mountain. The farther each character went up the mountain, getting closer to their destination, the more profound their discoveries became, and the more “incurable their need to understand” became (Daumal, p. 34). Daumal found that there was “invisible humanity within visible humanity” (p. 43). Ultimately things are not what they seem, and the desire to understand the world and life can never be satisfied.