Velasco has been drifting for seven days and is losing his will to survive; however, “when you feel close to death, your instinct for self-preservation grows stronger” (57). He tries and fails to catch a fish swimming near the raft with his bare hands. All he gets for his efforts are cut fingers from where the fish nibbled at him.

“Shark in the Raft!”

Suddenly, many sharks begin thrashing around the raft. In a panic, one of the fish trying to escape the sharks jumps into Velasco’s lap. He holds onto it for dear life, trying to club the fish to death with an oar. He eventually secures and kills the fish, but the tough scales make eating it very difficult.

“My Poor Body”

He attempts to cut the fish with his keys but to no avail. He finds an opening at the gills and tears the fish apart. He begins to eat a chunk of raw fish. He does not like the taste but keeps chewing. He takes a second bite and feels full. In a momentary lapse of judgment, he attempts to clean the fish in the water. A shark then snatches away the only food he has had in a week.