Ascension in the Moonlight - Simon Winchester

In Ascension in the Moonlight, Simon Winchester demonstrates a theme that some of the best things in life come when they are least expected due to the kindness in others. Winchester makes this clear when describing his spur of the moment idea to head to Ascension Island where he would have to stay for a day, to his demise, to catch a plane back to England. The island is unbearably hot but Winchester made new friendships, saw the whitest sand, and even witnessed Brazilian turtles all because of two kind people. Winchester uses personification to describe the feeling of the expectant surprise from Angela, "...the house was alive with a curiously expectant air." He also uses vivid imagery to show his gratitude to the immensely hot island turned beautiful, "...the purest white shell powder, illuminated by the immense pale moon, and with a clear sky full of a blizzard of stars." From a spontaneous decision Winchester thought he may regret, he came to "a state of grace" because of the kindness of Paul and Angela and the luck of experiencing things hardly anyone gets to do.