They were finally on land! In the first few pages on part V, it seemed that the men were finally safe and will be rescued. However, rumors started to spread that Shackleton was planning a journey and they had to move. Though the prospect of being safe was short-lived, the men did not object to Shackleton's decision because they knew that they would eventually have to continue their journey. "Having barely escaped the sea's hungry grasp...now to have to return to it...But the need was indisputable" (p. 180). The island they had sought for refuge was only livable in moderate weather conditions. This became obvious as the wind picked up and the land was flooded repeatedly. With the readying the boats for the journey, there was also the realization that some of the men would have to be left behind. I believe that this part of the book was significant because it showed that all the men being left behind had a lot of courage to sit and wait endlessly. As the men left on the Caird for the journey, it left behind a lot of hope and expectations. Every day the men on the island waited for help to arrive. None dared to lose hope or voice their fears. It had a lot of motivational factors because despite the fact that help may not arrive, the men still held on to their hopes. None of them became angry or turned against each other. They all stuck together.
Furthermore, even though the men hated the island because the weather conditions worsened, they all were committed to working together and making the place more secure for themselves. I think through sticking together, they were able to eliminate most of their miseries and that in itself is motivating.
Not only that, the men also had a lot of respect for Shackleton as they never went against his decisions no matter what. They never once blamed him for leaving them behind. By the end of this section, they were still waiting for help to arrive. Just not knowing what became of the Caird and the crew is difficult enough. The question is: will help arrive by the end of august as they expected?
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Great post! It's very detailed. I liked how the crew continued to work together even though the island still had harsh conditions. Great quote from the book!
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