Endurance. SECTION 1: Part 1, Ch1-2

The crew of the Endurance

In the first section of the book Endurance by Alfred Lansing, there is an introduction to the main character, Ernest Shackleton, and other minor characters, which are members of the crew, and what their roles will be later on in the book. The way the book is written, it begins in the middle of the action, right as the ship is sinking, then going on to describe how Shackleton, the captain of the ship and commander of the expedition, came to realize and put to action his goal of crossing Antarctica.

Early on, readers are shown how determined and mentally strong all the crew members are during their time of danger and peril. Lansing describes their attitude as fairly composed, although everything they do is done with a sense of pressure.  Lansing describes the crew and the scene as, “They worked with a deliberate urgency… apart from the movement of the ice and the sounds of the ship, the scene was of relative calm.” Their composure and the way they have handled the situation relates well to many people in desperate situations such as this. When large problems come up, often times people have to stop the worry and panic, and just redirect their worry and simply do whatever they can to fix the problem, staying calm and collected all the while. This has proved true many a time for soldiers, when problems present themselves, they cannot be subjected to panic. They set their minds to the task of fixing the problem at hand. Any moment of doubt can put lives in jeopardy; therefore, soldiers must remain constantly collected and confident in anything and everything they do.

A group of soldiers praying together

The literary term that best applies to this first section of this book is mood. The first few chapters do an excellent job in setting the mood for the entire novel. The traits of all the characters: determined, mentally tough, brave, and bold are great in assisting with this. The mood is most definitely positive. The crew consistently stays optimistic and focused on fixing whatever problems arise in the course of their journey thus far.