He initially makes up his mind to hope no more, and so he relieves himself of a great deal of terror, a terror which would have driven him, like his brother, insane. ... Nothing to gain, no plan to formulate, no expectations to make, the sailor can do something he has never really done before: he can look at the abyss with detachment. ... Immediately after he abandons hope and consequently rational expectations, the sailor reflects on how magnificent a thing it would be to die in so wonderful a manifestation of God's power. ... Then there is also a more subtle indication of his agreement ...

• Word Count: 1763
• Approx Pages: 7