Largest Obstacle to the expedition

[Diana Lowery]

Odette Chace wrote:
> diana lowery wrote:
> > I think that the alcohol caused problems, and I was annoyed that the
> > commander didn't just dump it all out which would have solved the issue.
> > Putting the others on the honor system not to get into it was not a good
> > decision.
> I agree. I was wondering if the over-consumption of alcohol throughout the work was
> supposed to be a commentary on Russian culture or if it was just the characters
> having poor impulse control, or both.
Probably a combination of all of those things. Someone commented that it wasn't the alcohol that was the problem; it was the people who consumed it.

[Lilyflower-x2]

Anna Dougherty wrote:
> Alchohol was the greatest obstacle to the expedition. They just should not
> have brought it with them.

Exactly. Alcohol had no place in such a serious mission. The commander should never have allowed it to be brought along.

[Lilyflower-x2]

Kelyn wrote:
> I think their human weakness toward temptation was mostly the problem.
> Having the alcohol available at all was a problem waiting to happen. The
> expedition (and it's members) would have been better off without it.

It was irresponsible to bring alcohol when heading out for the expedition. The commander should have know better, especially with the seriousness the expedition deserved.

[Ada Ling]

First is the permit to get it. Once they are in, it was the huge animal. Once the human tamed the animal, then it is the internal split between the team members.

[Beckygithui1994]

I also agree that it was not a purely alcohol problem. Alcohol itself is never the problem. The problem is how the people handle it and its effects. In this case the distrust was already there in the first place.

[Beckygithui1994]

I agree that the obstacles are many. They keep appearing one after the other with no break. in my opinion, this reflects much on how real life actually is. We overcome one obstacle only to be faced with another. This author depicted this very clearly in the book.

[Nqobile Mashinini Tshabalala]

Alcohol inhibits your brain's capability. It is therefore expected that when one is intoxicated, their thinking becomes "foggy". Pre-planned expeditions stand a much higher chance to suceed when people do not deviate from the plans.

[gelli_baranda]

The saying says, "the key to everything is moderation." I cannot blame them for having an indulgement to alcohol, human nature made it a point to be a part of their lifestyle.

[Amaraah]

I agree that alcohol, lack of trust was the largest obstacle, there were highly indulged in alcohol and it caused many problems that couldn't have happened if they abstained from alcohol

[Tamisha25]

"In vino veritas" = in wine lies the truth. The alcohol intake did not help their bumpy journey, but still I think they should have chosen their friends wisely. As conflicts already occur simply from human interaction, mixing some alcohol will surely make it worse.

[Asunshine]

Luck of trust was the main obstacle, the way everyone was doubting each other. But then alcohol added to this and made things more complicated.

[OB Brian]

During the course of the expedition the group overindulged in alcohol and this caused many problems that could have easily been avoided. While they faced many obstacles from terrible weather to wild animals, In my opinion Alcohol was the largest obstacle to the expedition.
What about you, what do you think was the largest obstacle to the expedition?

I couldn't agree more. I mean it affects concentration, thus sabotaging the mission

[VSuraj]

I think maybe a main obstacle was pride, or the clashing of egos.
More than once it was mentioned that the scientists and the guards were divided into cliques. So it seems like the pride of the guards was bruised, maybe they were tired of doing too much labor, they thought they should be the ones to call the shots.

The alcohol definitely made things worse but it only accelerated the discontent they were already feeling.

[JB3]

I think that the characters themselves were the greatest obstacle to the expedition. They all had their own goals and were only willing to work together when it suited them. In addition to that the poor decision making by the overconsumption of alcohol was also a large impediment to their success.

[adhambakry]

Although alcohol abuse was a major problem, I believe that the major obstacle to Grant in this instalment and the ones after, will be Irina.