In my opinion, the theme of "Ascension in the Moonlight" was that it is the people one meets on a journey that make that journey truly amazing. He was "Lucky to be in such a place. Lucky to see such things. And luckiest of all to meet such very kind people" (271). Winchester's journey wouldn't have been quite as memorable if he hadn't met Paul and Angela, for example, because they stood out in his memory and made his trip that much more memorable.
One aspect of Winchester's writing I found particularly effective was the way he listed sensory details, for instance: "- of new friendship, of tropical warmth, of strawberries and cream and cool white wine, of white sand and sea swimming, and of Brazilian turtles, an eclipse of the moon and the rising of a comet" (270). By listing details like that, Winchester gives the audience an idea of how much of an overwhelmingly good time he was having. I also liked how at times Winchester's writing was conversational. For instance, he says, "But that wasn't the half of it. There was more" (269) and "Paul had been preaching quite happily, thank you" (266). These conversational elements give the essay a much more personal feel and bring us closer to Winchester as a narrator.
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