The Rescue (Part VII)

"Little by little, as they gained strength and the tension went out of their nerves, a marvelous feeling of security came over all of them, dimmed only by the knowledge of the responsibility they bore to the castaways back on Elephant Island."

Shackleton had made it to land, however, the ship did not have what it took to carry all the way on to where they could find help. They were going to have to cross the peaks of South Georgia in order to make it to civilization. The peaks were very steep but Shackleton and his crew managed to slowly and cautiously make their way past the large drops. They hurried through the peaks, knowing that if they took too long they would freeze to death in the high altitude. After the long struggle in the cold, unforgiving mountains Shackleton and his two companions made it to the whaling yard, where they meet up with sorrella, who was surprised to see them alive. The man cast away on Elephant Island were all soon saved.

Such a spectacular feet of survival, the crew of the Endurance exhibit what it takes in order to survive in some of the worst conditions known to man. They all obtained courage, selflessness, valor, and a strong bond that connected each other. They show the power of the human being in such rotten conditions.

Voyage of the Ciard

“To classify the dangers they faced in order of magnitude would have been impossible, but of the known threats the greatest undoubtedly was ice—especially at night. One single collision with an unseen fragment could have ended the journey in a moment.”

From the very start of their risky voyage, Shackleton and the men realized that surviving on land was cozy compared to surviving on the open ocean in their small vessel. Their was the constant spray of the ocean, freezing on the men and chilling them to the bone.  The crew also faced the constant threat of colliding with the ice bergs and enduring some unfathomable storms. Each man would take turns knocking ice that collected on the boat during storms. Despite all their trials some men continued to hold high spirits including Macty who is displayed in this dialogue, “Macty the most irrepressible optimist I’ve ever met. When I relieve him at the helm, boat iced and seas pourg: down yr neck informs me with a happy grin ‘It’s a grand day sir’ I was feeling a bit sour just before…” After all the adversity the members of the Caird spot land and days later make it to shore.

When the men finally reach shore, I can’t help but be reminded of the movie Apollo 13, starring Tom Hanks. In this movie, three astronauts are lifted off into space with their mission to land on the moon and come back with many samples. However their mission is compromised when a piece of space shuttle malfunctions and the entire operation becomes a rescue mission. Despite their many obstacles, the astronauts very narrowly escape home as the harrowing survivors.

No Rest for the Weary (1-5)

"They realized, as one man said, that "Elephant Island had flattered only to deceive." She had revealed her true face to them, and the sight of it was ugly."

After the seemingly endless voyage on the boats, the crew finally had made it too Elephant Island where they joyfully ate all that they could manage then slept undisturbed for what seemed like an eternity. However, upon getting up the men heard the frightful news that Shackleton had given orders that they pack up and make for another coast that is safer and less prone to high tides and dangerous storms. Shackleton is relieved that he has delivered his crew to the land but he realizes that it would be difficult to deliver all of them on the three diminutive vessels across the open ocean. So with the qualities of an Epic Hero, Shackleton decides to make the voyage across the open sea with five hand-picked mates and a supply of food. Wild is left in charge of the rest of the men on the island. Before he leaves, Shackleton speaks with Wild, advising him on what to do in certain situations, he then takes off leaving the rest of his crew waiting for rescue.

Voyage to the Islands (1-5)

"Alone, alone. all, all alone, 

Alone on a wide wide sea."

The men sailed toward the islands on the small boats, stopping only at night. They're conditions worsened from the cold water being splashed on them, to the lack of sleep. They stopped landing on floes during their journey to the island, because many of the floes around them were unstable and dangerous learned from the first two times they made camp on one. The men took the punches with the idea that they were one step closer to land. However when Worsley measured the distance to their destination he found that they were actually farther away from the island than when they had started. Taking this viscious blow, the men carried onto the open ocean, where they faced gargantuan swells in the water. This portion of the book would have to be the climax. It exhibits the men's final and last resort to freedom. Their position right now is either do or die.

This final act of the men to survive reminds me of the motion picture, Defiance, about a group of Jewish refugees who hide out in the woods away from the SS. At the climax of the movie, the Nazi's have discovered where the refugees hide and send a large force to dispatch of them. They hurriedly escape to find a vast swamp for miles in front of them. With the attitude of do or die, the refugees trudge through the dark, dangerous swamp for miles, with all of their might to make it to freedom.

A Leap of Faith (5 and 6)

"At ten thirty, Shackleton's booming brogue rang out: "Strike the tents and clear the boats!""

After the hardships on the floe, the crew finally managed to spot land some forty two miles away. However, they were concerned to launch the boats due to the open sea and fast flowing ice bergs. So they continued to wait for their flow to decrease distance or any moment when the sea looked safe. They stayed on the floe for two more weeks and struck gold with the hunting of two 1000 pound sea leopards. Also because the last of the dogs were no longer needed, Macklin's team and the puppy team were all killed and eaten. There is a feeling of Pathos when reading the description of one of the dogs happily munching on a bone before being shot.

Finally, Shackleton had no choice to order for the launching of the boats as the floe started to become more and more unstable due to the warmer weather. The men dodged around the cracks in the ice and loaded up all the boats and left. This abruptness reminds me of a film called Flight of the Phoenix. In the movie, a group of people are stranded in the desert and have to try to reassemble their crashed airplane in order to escape. However they have to take a crash course in flying when a gang of desert thugs discover the survivors and arrive to kill them. The survivors quickly board the plane, not even knowing if it will fly, and escape the blood-thirsty criminals in the knick of time. Both of these incidents have to do with a leap of faith.

Hard times on the Floe (1-4)

"We have just been a third of a year on the floe, drifting as Nature has willed. I wonder when we shall see home again."

Since the men have been on the Floe, they have switched to many different camps in search for better accommodations while they waited to spot land. However, there efforts do not help for the food supply is greatly diminished and the warmer temperatures seem to be working against them. To adapt to the pressures of the lack of food. The men must kill their dogs to lessen the distribution of food. The men dutifully kill their dogs, knowing that it is worth their survival although they have grown very attached to their team. Through all this the men only wish that they can once again be on land. The frustration of the men's predicament can be understood by the sarcasm of Worsley, "we are probably hurtling to the North at the incredible speed of 1 mile an hour!"

This frustration of sitting and waiting for hope to arrive reminds me of the television series Lost. The show lasted 6 seasons and the entire time these people continually found it hard to get off the island. Despite all of their best efforts there was always some other entity or group that prevented them from achieving their goal. They might have been about to signal a navy ship with a radio when somebody destroyed it, or perhaps they were about to escape on a raft when a group of strangers burnt it. That hopelessness is present in both Shackleton's voyage and in Lost.

Death of the Endurance (4 to 6) Tone

"Away across the pack, the stern of the Endurance rose 20 feet into the air and hung there for a moment with her motionless propeller and her smashed rudder held aloft. Then slowly, silently she disappeared beneath the ice, leaving only a small gap of black, open water to mark where she had been."

As the Endurance sank, the men felt farther from their homes more than ever. Although was completely useless in the ice, it still held for a symbol of civilization. With the ship gone the men had to continue to hope and pray that the winds would help carry their floe towards land. Meanwhile, with the loss of their tie to civilization the men soon start following some of the morals they once held in order to survive, such as the gruesome slaughter of seals using pickaxes and knives. All of these incidents the author writes with a very serious and glum tone. Things are starting to become more and more desperate and the crew is finally starting to see that.

The killing of the seals reminds me of the western expansion of North America. Riding out into the unpredictable wilderness, the pioneers had to adapt and succumb to very shameful acts in order to survive, even cannibalism. These two incidents show how far a human being can go in order to survive.