This poem expresses Du Fu's own life experience and mood. Du Fu called himself "Minister in Exile", referring to the situation that he was forced to leave Beijing and live in exile because of political turmoil. However, he is unwilling to accept his fate. He called himself a "hero in troubled times", which shows that he still maintained his ambition and indomitable spirit in troubled times.
This poem embodies Du Fu's independent spirit as a poet and his concern for the times. Although in adversity, he still sticks to his ambition and values and expresses his thoughts and feelings through poetry. This poem also expresses Du Fu's deep touch on troubled times and his anxiety about social unrest, and also shows his introspection and self-identity on his role. The whole poem "Ascending the Mountain" is mainly about landscape description. By expressing the poet's inner feelings and thoughts, he showed his thinking about social reality and his pursuit of the meaning of life.