'Come on, he thought, baring his teeth in the darkness—come on. Is that the best you can do—is that all you can hit me with—a moose and a tornado? Well, he thought, holding his ribs and smiling, then spitting mosquitoes out of his mouth. Well, that won't get the job done. That was the difference now. He had changed, and he was tough. I'm tough where it counts—tough in the head.'
Tough physically, mentally, and emotionally is what Brian was forced to grow into. In order to survive he had to remain tough enough to handle the physical and mental obstacles he had to overcome. By the end of the novel, Brian has converted into an entirely different person after living in the harsh conditions of a Canadian forest for over 50 days. He used to cry out of self-pity whenever unlucky situations occurred; however this passage, found at the near end of the novel (Chapter 16) holds the true meaning of what Brian realized he had turned into. We see that after being attacked by nature’s force he challenges nature by asking for more saying that “that won’t get the job done." This passage reveals his severe psychological change that occurs after being neglected by the power of nature but that has allowed his survival. He is “tough in the head, where it most counts." This quote reveals the thought that everything we achieve or don’t achieve is controlled by our thoughts, our mind, and everything that goes about inside it. We control what happens. Brian’s mind controlled his chance of survival.
Tough physically, mentally, and emotionally is what Brian was forced to grow into. In order to survive he had to remain tough enough to handle the physical and mental obstacles he had to overcome. By the end of the novel, Brian has converted into an entirely different person after living in the harsh conditions of a Canadian forest for over 50 days. He used to cry out of self-pity whenever unlucky situations occurred; however this passage, found at the near end of the novel (Chapter 16) holds the true meaning of what Brian realized he had turned into. We see that after being attacked by nature’s force he challenges nature by asking for more saying that “that won’t get the job done." This passage reveals his severe psychological change that occurs after being neglected by the power of nature but that has allowed his survival. He is “tough in the head, where it most counts." This quote reveals the thought that everything we achieve or don’t achieve is controlled by our thoughts, our mind, and everything that goes about inside it. We control what happens. Brian’s mind controlled his chance of survival.