They have for shamed themselves. Nick does the same but by making excuses and distractions for himself: "He wished he had brought something to read. He felt like reading. He did not feel like going on into the swamp" (155). While Nick and the prisoners are denying their challenges, the people around them are loosing respect for them and showing no sympathy or mercy because of their lack of grace under pressure. For instance, one of the priests in the vignette says to the Sam Cardinella "Be a man, my son" (143), where as the river uses its depths to tell Nick to be a man or not to be there at all: "deep wading with the water deepening up under his armpits. in the fast deep water, in the half light, the fishing would be tragic" (155). Both the river and the priest show no sign of sympathy or mercy to either of their subjects, and when Nick and Sam break they are not there to help them face the challenge: "The priest stepped back onto the scaffolding just before the drop fell" (143). Hemingway employs the fact that not having grace under pressure will shame a man and strip him of his masculine aspects because he has become passive and develop more female like characteristics. In the vignette before "Cross-Country Snow," Villalta is a prime example of a man with grace under pressure: "Villalta snarl at the bull and curse him and when the bull charged he swung back firmly like an oak when the wind hits it, his legs tight together. he cursed the bull, flopped the muleta at him. the muleta curving and at swing the crowd roaring. the bull looking at him straight in front, hating. called to the bull Toro! Toro! and the bull charged and Villalta charged and just for a moment they became one" (105).
Villalta has masculinity, has obtained respect from the crowd, has grace under pressure. He calls forth the challenge; he does not cowers away like Nick or Sam or the prisoners, Villalta charges at the bull and does it all with grace.