On the dinghy after the ordeal, others assume Nora is in shock from nearly dying. Nora recognises a different truth: her shock comes from realising she actually wants to live. That recognition reframes her fear into resolve.

As the boat passes a small island, she notices green lichens gripping rocks and clusters of little auks and puffins bracing against the Arctic wind. The sight of life persisting in harsh conditions mirrors Nora’s own sudden urge to endure.

Hugo hands Nora a coffee from his flask, and she warms her cold hands around it. The simple act grounds her and deepens her insight: to be part of nature is to share its will to live. This connection shifts her from resignation to participation.

Reflecting on the vastness of the world—and the equal vastness within a person—Nora understands that once this scale is sensed, hope inevitably emerges. She feels that hope cling to her as stubbornly as lichen to rock, marking a turning point in her trajectory toward life.