t." The doctor stifled a yawn. His teeth were stained and dirty, and his hair lank and dirty, and his hands pink and spotless."You mean will to live?""That's one way of looking at it." The doctor glowered up at the King. "That's one thing you won't die of, isn't it?""Hell no. Sir." (King Rat p.109)The way the King answers the question shows his strength and the fact that he would never die by giving up on his life. His mentality on his seemingly hopeless situation played an important role in keeping his will to survive very strong. He goes on to think to himself, "The world was jungle, and the strong survived and the weak should die. It was you or the other guy. That's right. There is no other way." (King Rat p.110) Not everyone with a strong will to survive has this mentality, the type of mentality that keeps the King as sharp as a razor. A strong will to survive is also seen in the novel McKenzie's Boots by Michael Noonan. The main character is Rod McKenzie, a young soldier in the thick of jungle warfare against the Japanese forces. The only thing motivating this kid is the hope that he might one day be able to go back home. In a climactic point in the novel, Rod is confronted by a Japanese captain who is intent on killing him.(Captain) Astashi fumbled at his side to grip and draw his pistol from its holster; Rod's impetus was such that Astashi had only moments to aim and fire.... The bullet struck Rod in the side. And now, as he laboured to reach the executioner, his boots became so heavy that they might have been cast in illicit gold. Even so, with his momentum fading away, he managed to keep on and drive the shaft of steel fitted to the end of his rifle into Astashi's body. (McKenzie's Boots p.229)Rod's strong will to survive prevented him from accepting death but instead gave him the energy to bring Captain Astashi to his death. His actions prevented him from getting killed, thus showing his strong will to sur...
