My memory of the book was that Victor’s tale had convinced Walton to abandon his obsessive, suicidal goal, but he stays just as deluded as ever, and Victor even eggs him on! Luckily his crew are smart enough to realize there’s not much “glory and honor” in being lost at sea. 🔩
In 1908 Ernest Shackleton’s Antarctic expedition turned back 97 miles from the South Pole because, as Shackleton wrote to his wife, “I thought, dear, that you would rather have a live ass than a dead lion.” Walton could use some of that common sense. 🔩
The story of that expedition is amazing and I understand that he’s often taught as an example of particularly smart leadership. Ripped through the book on it while in some snowy mountains and it was a delicious read.
You’re probably thinking of the 1914 Endurance expedition, where the ship got stuck in the ice. But knowing when to turn back is also an important skill – one that, for example, Scott was really lacking in.
