London's traveler is, to a certain degree, experiencing less terrible conditions and he is practically responsible for everything that happens to him. In contrast, the men on the boat have no power over what happens to them and they are constantly subjected to unfortunate events, even with the fact that they do everything that they can in order to remedy things. Crane's characters virtually refuse to believe that nature can be as unforgiving as to present them with an island and prevent them from reaching it, especially after they went through a lot of trouble to get to that location. Nature is cruel to these men, as it provides them with hope but refrains from protecting them from its power. Even if they eventually save themselves, they are left with the impression that they are ultimately powerless in the face of nature and that they have little to no power...
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