In this narrative more than any other, nature itself seems
to fight back and even actively attack the men. We have read other works in
which mountains seem to send avalanches or storms down on expeditions to try to
stop them from summiting. For example, in Touching
my Father’s Soul, Norgay describes the mountain as a goddess. This goddess
simply allowed men to stand on the summit, but she often prevented expeditions
from succeeding. Norgay’s is not the only account of personification of nature.
Human imagery is often applied to mountains, and avalanches seem to be sent
down specifically to wash men off to the bottom.
The
personification of nature and all of the elements is even more prominent in Endurance. Not only does the ice move,
but it seems to chase them. It is an enemy that requires constant surveillance-
it never sleeps, it is unpredictable, it has unlimited power. The reader gets
the sense that the men on the expedition only survived because the ice allowed
them to escape its grasp. The ice is a powerful enemy that knows its own power.
Lansing describes it, saying, “the impression of its titanic power was
heightened by the unhurried deliberateness of the motion” (pg 4). The ice
abuses the ship, trying its best to break her in half. Worsely describes the
ice as a “grinding, hungry pack” (pg 55).
Coupled
with the ice is the unending night that accompanies winter, and the storms that
blow hurricane force winds and snow into the tents. While these elements are
not personified nearly as much as the ice, they still seem to chase the men
wherever they go. This environment is extremely hostile, and the descriptions
in this narrative make nature into everyone’s enemy, who chases and makes
everyone sleep with one eye open.
I also agree that the ice is definitely portrayed as a formidable adversary to the expedition in this narrative. I think this becomes especially apparent when Lansing describes the Endurance as it succumbs to the pressure of the ice pack. He repeatedly describes the ship as being stabbed and pushed, which makes the ice seem even that much more aggressive. I hadn't thought about how this was similar to the portrayal of the goddess in Touching my Father's Soul before and I think that portrayal raises interesting questions about how people relate to their landscape. There does not seem to be a spiritual component to how the sailors perceive their environment in this narrative, and I think that probably stems from the cultural differences in perceptions of wilderness and the natural world.
ReplyDelete