Hayduke Lives!

The book Hayduke Lives! picks up a few years after the events that occurred in The Monkey Wrench Gang. The reader is quickly reacquainted with all of the previous members of the gang, learning that each member has traded their once adventurous and daring life for one that is more quiet and reserved. The narrator also makes it apparent that the infamous George Washington Hayduke, leader of the Monkey Wrench Gang, has supposedly perished in this same gap of time.

The reader then becomes reacquainted with the antagonist of the series, Bishop J. Dudley Love. It is revealed that, in the first novel, Love had been softened and turned to an environmentalist. However, Love has apparently “gotten over that malaise” and turned back to his old ways.

The author then chooses to reveal the ultimate antagonist and point of conflict within the story; a Giant Earth Moving machine, codenamed GOLIATH. Love is seen promoting the operation of said machine in order to commence a massive surface mining project. The purpose of the surface mining is to reveal uranium deposits located in the ground, opening up a vast number of jobs for the people and boosting the economy. Of course this is ignoring the obvious devastation and carnage that this machine will be wreaking upon the environment and the health hazards of mining these highly radioactive materials.

It is because of the great environmental perils and devastation that Hayduke decides to come out of hiding. He goes to each of the former Monkey Wrench members individually, trying to rally the Monkey Wrench Gang once again. At first things seem hopeless as each member declines his offer. However, slowly, each member begins to rejoin and they formulate a plan to stop the “nuke pukes.” At this same time, the members of Earth First! also decide to organize their own rebellion by creating a human wall that would impede the path of GOLIATH.

On the day of the revolt, Earth First! is met with a nasty surprise when they find that Love has called in the Utah authorities in order to break up the mob. After several fights and some severe injuries, the Earth First!ers give in to the riot police and are hauled off to be interrogated and imprisoned. Love, believing that he has won the war, decides to turn off all of the machines and throw a victory celebration. Little does he know that, at this time, the Monkey Wrench Gang has managed to gain access to GOLIATH. Hayduke, with the help of fellow member Seldom Seen Smith, hijack the G.E.M. They then run the gargantuan machine off the edge of a cliff and escape, the threat of GOLIATH no more.

Although the author does address several specific environmental issues (such as overgrazing, littering, and bulldozing), it would appear that the message of the story is not actually to address a particular environmental problem. Instead, the author points out a number of issues in order to address a more pressing matter: America’s general disregard of the environment as a whole. In order to further emphasize this issue, the author often uses very extravagant imagery to describe the monster of industry.

Through its use of imagery and exaggerations, the author does make a very powerful argument. However, upon closer examination, there are many flaws in the logic that the story follows. Edward Abbey seems to provide no absolute evidence upon the matter, but instead loads the story with loads upon loads of biased opinions.

One of the most blatant errors presented within the writing is the Abbey’s completely relentless view of people against environmentalism. Love’s character in the story is portrayed as a self-absorbed, closed-minded tyrant without any sort of redeeming qualities. The cops that put down the mob