The irony throughout this novel continually astounds me. Though the men were covered in blisters and quenching in discomfort, they were relaxed. “Their legs from the knees down were chafed and raw from the countless punishing trips crawling across the rocks in the bottom. And all of them were afflicted with salt water boils on their wrists, ankles, and buttocks. But had someone unexpectedly come upon this bizarre scene, undoubtedly the most striking thing would have been the attitude of the men...relaxed, even faintly jovial-almost as if they were on an outing of some sort(Lansing 236).”
Time and time again throughout the novel, Lansing shows example of how even though the men may be in dire situations, they still do not have the attitude that one would expect. I believe that the reason that this is, is because of the close bond that these men had created by spending so long together through so many challenging situations. Due to the close connection that these men had, they began to trust in each other. They knew somewhere deep down that the man next to me will help me in whatever way they can if the time comes. Also, the fact that a man was not alone during this whole ordeal made the journey much easier to bare. Having to share a similar fate with someone else allows there to be an almost relaxed feeling based on the knowledge that one does not have to go through the challenge alone.
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