# XXXVI explained — The Survivors of the Chancellor

> Chapter companion for The Survivors of the Chancellor by Jules Verne.

## What happens

After a violent storm, the survivors on the raft take stock of their dire situation: two sailors (Austin and O'Ready) have been lost, reducing the party to sixteen. Curtis accounts for the remaining provisions—about fourteen gallons of water and sixty pounds of biscuit. Famine looms, and despair settles over the group, with some sailors making grim jokes about dying.

## Themes in this chapter

### Survival and Sacrifice

The chapter starkly portrays the struggle for survival as provisions dwindle and the specter of famine emerges, forcing each person to confront their own mortality.

### Hope and Despair

The general depression and cynical remarks contrast with small acts of prudence and care, highlighting the tension between hope and despair.

## Character check-ins

### Robert Curtis

Curtis saves the narrator from a second heavy wave and takes the first inventory of remaining provisions.

### M. Letourneur

M. Letourneur, along with Miss Herbey, kindly cares for the narrator after his fall.

### Miss Herbey

Miss Herbey assists M. Letourneur in tending to the narrator's recovery.

### Mr. Falsten

Falsten prudently divides his biscuit ration into multiple portions, showing foresight.

### Flaypole

Flaypole makes a grim, cynical remark about those who are dying.

## Key lines

> Those who are going to die had better make haste about it.

Flaypole cynically suggests that the dying should hurry up so others can have their food.

_This remark underscores the growing desperation and selfishness among the survivors._

> If anyone survives this misery, I think it will be he.

The narrator believes Falsten's prudent rationing gives him the best chance of living through the ordeal.

_Highlights Falsten's methodical approach to survival._

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_survivors_of_the_chancellor_se/chapters/xxxvi
- Book: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_survivors_of_the_chancellor_se
- All chapters: https://www.betterreads.online/discover/the_survivors_of_the_chancellor_se/chapters