What is the ending of Leiningen versus the Ants?
At the story’s end, Leiningen awakes while recovering from his injuries; his final words before going to sleep are: “I told you I would come back, even if I am a bit streamlined.”
What is the conflict in Leiningen versus the Ants?
The story Leiningen Versus the Ants contains all three of the different types of conflict, however, the predominant conflict is man versus environment. The primary conflict is Man versus his environment because the majority of the story is about Leiningen pitting himself against the ants.
How does Leiningen defeat the ants?
Leiningen finally defeats the ants by running through the army of ants to reach the wheel of the weir, which is nearly two miles away.
What are the strengths of Leiningen?
His most admirable strength is his insistence on fighting the ants with his men; while he could have instructed them to fight alone, and they would have agreed because of their respect for him, Leiningen is on the front lines with them at all times, directing and helping as they battle the ants.
What does Leiningen offer his workers?
The plantation workers are frightened, Leiningen offers them full pay and allows them to leave. But the boss is such a force of nature himself that some workers stay behind to implement Leiningen’s formidable battle plans to defeat the ants.
What did Leiningen realize about the ant’s nature?
When the creature reached the far bank of the ditch and collapsed opposite Leiningen, he recognized it as a pampas stag, covered over and over with ants. It had strayed near the zone of the army.
What is the plot of Leiningen vs the ants?
“Leiningen Versus the Ants” is a gripping tale of Man versus Nature. As a virtual plague of voracious, thinking creatures marches toward the expansive coffee plantation of its scrappy owner named Leiningen, a frustrated Brazilian official, who calls the coming of the ants an “act of God,” tries…
What is Leiningen’s fear?
When some ants get across and attack one of Leiningen’s native workers, the man screams in fear and pain, and Leiningen realizes “that another such casualty, yes, perhaps this alone, might plunge his men into confusion and destroy their morale,” and that if that happens, they’re all as good as dead.
What threat do the ants pose to Leiningen his men and his plantation?
The ants pose the greatest of threats to Leiningen, for they threaten to destroy his entire coffee plantation, and kill the peons who work for him as well as himself. These army ants are not small, and they come in biblical numbers.
Why is Leiningen a hero?
A hero is “one that shows great courage” according to Webster’s Dictionary. In Leiningen versus the Ants by Carl Stephenson, the protagonist Leiningen can be considered a hero. Not only does he risk his life to save his peon workers and farm, but he is respected by all in every way, shape, and form.
What is the most significant act that Leiningen did?
So, though Leiningen has created complex and thorough defenses of many kinds on his plantation, he believes that the single most powerful weapon he has with which to fight against the oncoming ants, the “act of God,” is his intelligence.
What is Leiningen’s motto?
Leiningen’s motto is “The human brain needs only to become fully aware of its power to conquer even the elements” (p. 81). By believing this motto, Leiningen feels he can overcome anything. On one level, this is true, as rational thought coupled with decisive action can lead to victory.
How does Leiningen try to convince the ants to leave his plantation?
Leiningen hopes that they may be persuaded to withdraw from his plantation. However, the ants cross by letting ones who have drowned act as stepping stones for the others. Fortunately, not all attempt to cross at once. Still, Leiningen feels the threat of a gruesome death.
Why did official throw up his arms at Leiningen?
When Leiningen is adamant that he will not abandon his land, so official throws up his arms, insisting that the plantation owner does not understand that the ants are an elemental force, an act of God.
What was the dam at the end of Leiningen?
At the end near the house and outbuildings, Leiningen has had a weir, or dam, constructed to divert the water. And while the ditch seems to be adequate security, Leiningen still exercises precautions such as moving the cattle and transporting the women and children to the compound of houses and outbuildings.
When was Leiningen Versus the ants first published?
Carl Stephenson’s detailed adventure story “Leiningen Versus the Ants” was first published in Esquire magazine in 1938, but has since been reprinted in many anthologies. The owner of a Brazilian plantation, Leiningen, listens to an agitated District Commissioner warn him about an approaching army of ants, “every single one .
