Ever since I finished the book, I was pretty devastated that Vasili froze to death. He was more on the antagonist side, challenging the route by rushing. (When I was growing up, I was always taught that balance is key to success, as disbalance may lead to major problems) I am a very sensitive person, so reading or even seeing a person die (yet alone experience it (be it in a movie, book, or real life)) will kind of cause grief, especially if I connected with the characters and lore of the story. If they were more thoughtful, or thought about the whole situation twice, they would have made the choice of staying the night.
Furthermore, I got really attached to the horse, as throughout the whole book it is used in ways that are sad (for example, I think that riding or using a horse for labour is torture, that was why we developed the Sterling engine, Diesel engine, and electric engines as well as turbines to improve transportation and labour. Nowadays especially, horses are used for rides; be it in a Club or in Downtown near the Legislative building.) Nikita and Mukhorty bonded very well in the story, and it was very significant to me that their connection was so superior.
I know that the two established a big relationships because when Vasili tries to save himself, the horse, despite Vasili’s efforts, decides not to leave Nikita, as he, the horse’s whole life, taken care of it.
The story reminds me of a quote I heard from when I was little: “Don’t Underestimate Nature, or else the price you will pay is drastical.”
I can relate this story to a real life incident which has occured in open waters:
In 2013, a man by the name of Harrison Ockene and his crew sunk down to a depth of 30 metres, near the cost of Nigeria. After 3 days, when he along with his 11 crew members were thought to be dead, a crew of divers were sent to retrieve the bodies of the passed, however, when they were swimming by the kitchen, a hand stuck out and grabbed them. Turns out, this 29 year old survived using only an air bubble and Coca cola.
This story has shaken me, and what’s even crazier is the man himself swore that he would never come near to open water ever again.