The mountain—Buck’s Peak, where Tara Westover grows up—is the most evocative symbol in her memoir. The mountain symbolizes home for Westover herself. The house she lives in is situated at the base of the mountain. Having lived in the shadow of the mountain her whole life, the mountain’s natural characteristics are also symbolic: The mountain symbolizes stability over time for Westover. Seasons may change, but the mountain remains the same, which is a source of comfort and reassurance for her. The mountain is also like a sort of “north star” for Westover. When she feels sad, overwhelmed, or afraid, she runs to the mountain and looks at her home and the surrounding area from its vantage point. On the mountain, Westover knows who she is, and she knows where she belongs.

Until college, Westover never traveled far beyond the mountain for long periods of time. Everywhere she went nearby, the mountain was always visible to remind her who she was. But as she moves away from home and loses sight of the mountain, her sense of who she is begins to change, and the mountain serves less and less as an anchor point for her identity, culture, and beliefs.