A Night to Remember by Walter Lord is coming to an end at this point. The scenes depicted in the last few chapters of the book are very difficult; all of the survivors recall what occurred inside of the life boats. This included many things, but to them the worst was, despite knowing they might make it out alive, feeling the guilt that they were the lucky few, and for each one of them there were many more who wouldn't make it. Graphic scenes by the survivors recall bodies of countless passengers, still and lifeless, floating in the water, and making a desperate attempt to find anyone who survived the freezing water. One passenger described the water as "a thousand knives stabbing every part of your body." These few chapters are underlines by the fear that the passengers experienced when trying to row away from the ship as it was sinking. The pull of the ship as it sank downward into the water would pull anything remotely near it meters below, which passengers knew would be fatal. Fortunately, all of the lifeboats managed to row away in time.
After the ship sinks, the mood inside of the lifeboats becomes sad, quiet, and mournful. However, the next morning, the lifeboats pick up again, and the moods inside of the boats lifted. One passenger even said it "reminded him of a bloomin' picnic!" Despite this optimism, another passenger recalled, "As the cries died away, the night became strangely peaceful. The Titanic, the agonizing suspense, was gone. The shock of what had happened, the confusion and excitement ahead, the realization that close friends were lost forever had not yet sunk in. A curiously tranquil feeling came over many of those in the boats." Overall, I'm interested to see how long it will take for the passengers to be rescued and their reactions when it does happen.
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