Hunting

Like others, I enjoyed the change of pace that Albanov's book provided. One of the most interesting aspects of the book was the fact that hunting was involved, and how much of the text included hunting. The group hunted polar bears and seals to stay alive, often leaving precious furs and blubber behind. It was interesting seeing the need to kill to survive play out, which is something we haven't really been exposed to before. This raises the question of what authority man has to kill and essentially exploit nature to survive. Adventurers may kill numerous animals on their path to survival. Should we have the right to do so? "No sooner had we put up the tent than Konrad rushed in, overcome with excitement, to inform us that he had found a walrus just behind a ridge of ice" (Albanov 96). Hunting can act simultaneously as a means for survival and a form of entertainment, a thrill. I infer that hunting can act as a welcome distraction from the painful trekking across the ice.