"The final loss of the Endurance was a shock in that it severed what had seemed their last tie with civilization...The ship had been a symbol, a tangible, physical symbol that linked them with the outside world...Now she was gone."
The men were sad to see their ship finally sink after twenty-five days of staying afloat, but there was also good news: the floe they were on had carried them closer to land and had not been affected by the winds threatening to push them in the opposite direction.
The interesting thing about this part of the book to me is the way everyone refferes to Shackleton as "Boss" yet he does not prefer any special treatment because of it. He wishes to be treated the same as all the other members of the crew and even takes his turn doing little chores. His position of power seems to take a toll on him. It reminds me of when I am in charge of my little siblings while on vacation. It is a good feeling to be in charge and have people listen to me, but sometimes the responsibility can be stressful. I have to be sure no one gets hurt or lost and sometimes it prevents me from having as much fun as those who have no responsibility but to listen to me.
When the men started running out of things to do, moral in Camp Ocean (what they decided to name the ice floe they were currently residing on) started to drop. At the same time, none of the ice was breaking up and the ice floe started to drift in the wrong direction. In order to give the crew something to do and to attempt to keep up their spirits, Shackleton decided they would pust west as hard as they could and try to reach land on foot instead of taking the boats like they had originally planned. Some were not okay with this decision for it meant leaving one boat behind and many provisions, but most backed Shackleton. By New Years 1916, they were stuck and had to retreat to safer ice because they could not go on. Everyone was hurt by this, but none more than Shackleton who hated the thought of defeat.
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