Ascension in the Moonlight

In Ascension in the Moonlight by Simon Winchester, I believe the theme is extraordinary beauty can be found in anyone and anything. The author thinks of Ascension Island as a remote, unappealing, irrelevant island when he first lands. He uses phrases such as "sorry-looking buildings" and describes the island as being "plagued" with donkeys and stray cats. Winchester was expecting nothing special about the island itself or the people inhabiting it. However, he receives the most gracious treatment from Paul and Angela Wilson through prepared meals, excursions, and the most amazing experience at the beach the night before his plane picked him up. Though at first thought of as a remote island, Winchester experiences the spectacle of watching turtles lay eggs and a spectacular comet streaking through the sky, proving that beauty can be found anywhere.
The descriptive language and imagery was undoubtedly the most effective strategy to relate the awe and beauty Winchester experiences to his readers. For example, instead of simply saying that the turtles swam back to sea after laying their eggs, he describes that the turtle "hoisted herself back down the slope, battered her weary way through the raging surf, and began her slow, eggless swim". Winchester's use of personification, such as "the shadow of the earth was now steadily sweeping across its face", also helps to paint a scene in the reader's mind and gives a magic quality to the scene, just as this experience was undoubtedly magical to Winchester.