Leiningen Versus the Ants

“Yes, Leiningen had always known how to grapple with life. Even here, in this Brazilian wilderness, his brain had triumphed over every difficulty and danger it had so far encountered [….] And now he was sure he would prove more than a match for the ‘irresistible’ ants.”

Leiningen has always valorized his competence. His ability to create a plantation within the “Brazilian wilderness,” thereby shaping the land to fit his own needs, causes him to underestimate the ants. They are, in fact, “irresistible” to him, meaning that he regards them only as another challenge through which he can prove how capable he is.

“It was a sight one could never forget. Over the range of hills, as far as the eye could see, crept a darkening hem, ever longer and broader, until the shadow spread across the slope from east to west […] and all the green herbage of that wide vista was being mown as by a giant sickle, leaving only the vast moving shadow, extending, deepening, and moving rapidly nearer.” 

Here, when introducing the ants, Stephenson creates an atmosphere of suspense. They take on a supernatural quality, signaling the entrance of an evil force. He likens them to a shadow and foreshadows their destruction of the plantation by describing how their dark presence seems to mow down “the green herbage,” as though with “a giant sickle.” 

“Even Leiningen […] could not free himself from a qualm of malaise. Yonder were thousands of millions of voracious jaws bearing down upon him and only a suddenly insignificant, narrow ditch lay between him and his men and being gnawed to the bones ‘before you can spit three times.’”

In this instance, Leiningen becomes momentarily hopeless in the face of potential death. The narrow ditch is representative of the fine line that frequently separates people from life and death. In the narrative, the boundary becomes literal.

“The planter’s chin jutted; they hadn’t got him yet, and he’d see to it they never would. While he could think at all, he’d flout both death and the devil.” 

Leiningen confronts the prospect of death with masculine bravado, exemplified by the act of jutting his chin. He relies persistently on his ability to think—not on any physical expression of force—to prevent the ants from succeeding. In this regard, he differs from typical male heroes.

“It is not easy for the average person to imagine that an animal, not to mention an insect, can think. But now both the European brain of Leiningen and the primitive brains of the Indians began to stir with the unpleasant foreboding that inside every single one of that deluge of insects dwelt a thought. And that thought was: Ditch or no ditch, we’ll get to your flesh!” 

The narrator intrudes on the story to make a point directly to the reader about how both Leiningen and the indigenous men underestimate their enemy. They begin to feel overwhelmed, not merely by the physical presences of the ants, but by the possibility each ant might be equally capable of forming a rational thought, which would prove that the men are outnumbered another way.

“As the war between his brain and the ‘act of God’ reached its climax, the very shadow of annihilation began to pale to Leiningen, who now felt like a champion in a new Olympic game, a gigantic and thrilling contest, from which he was determined to emerge victor.”

Leiningen views his battle with the ants as one of the rational mind against chaotic nature. He characterizes nature within the context of “[acts] of God,” representing a more Modernist view of God (Stephenson wrote the story during the Modernist period). He seeks to triumph both to determine his own fate and his moral value.

“He did not need to be told that ants are intelligent, that certain species even use others as milch cows, watchdogs and slaves. He was well aware of their power of adaptation, their sense of discipline, their marvelous talent for organization.” 

In this quote, the hierarchy that exists among a colony of ants mimics that which exists within the Brazilian colony that Leiningen and his men inhabit. Leiningen imagines that the ants’ world is as well-organized and clearly delineated as his own.

“After six minutes the white polished bones alone remained. That’s how he himself would look before you can—Leiningen spat once and put spurs to his horse.” 

Leiningen observes and times the ants devouring a pampas stag. He briefly imagines himself sharing a similar fate but cuts the thought short, refusing to heed to the possibility. His act of spitting is a demonstration of his dismissal of the ants. He spurs his horse—an act that reinforces dominance and action, in contrast to the stag’s helplessness and passivity.

“The sporting zest with which the excitement of the novel contest had inspired him the day before had now vanished; in its place was a cold and violent purpose. He would send these vermin back to the hell where they belonged [….] Yes, but how was indeed the question […] He had underestimated the might of the enemy; he really would have to bestir himself if he hoped to outwit them.” 

Leiningen realizes that the ants present a true mortal threat. To destroy them, he will have to take them seriously. Despite his dismissal of “[acts] of God,” Leiningen now frames his war against the ants as one against forces of evil.

“So their greed was not glutted in razing that vast plantation? Not by a long shot; they were all the more eager now on a rich and certain booty—four hundred men, numerous horses, and bursting granaries.”

The ants’ greed parallels with that of colonizers like Leiningen, who are not content with forming only one plantation or in conquering one country, but who seek to create more plantations and to colonize more countries. The ants’ ravenousness resembles that of Leiningen and other Europeans at the time.

“This spectacular and instant repulse threw the Indians into ecstasy. They applauded, yelled and stamped, like children at a pantomime. Had it not been for the awe in which they held the boss, they would infallibly have carried him shoulder high.” 

Leiningen has won the first battle against the ants, which makes the indigenous workers proud. The workers have unwavering faith in the planter, which this quote  exemplifies. Their faith in him also makes them mortally vulnerable. If Leiningen doesn’t triumph over the ants, using his rational powers, the natives will die. They are passive and dependent on their boss.

“Yet the perseverance of the ants was by no means broken; indeed, each setback seemed only to whet it. The concrete cooled, the flicker of the dying flames wavered and vanished […] and the ants marched forward anew to the attack.”

The ants are likened to a spirited army, firm and resolved in their pursuit to devour the humans in their path. Here, Stephenson gives the ants the human qualities of tenacity and focus. This makes Leiningen and his men nervous, forcing them to realize that they are confronting a relatively equal foe.

“Perhaps the ants weren’t so almighty, after all; perhaps he had allowed the mass suggestion of that evil black throng to hypnotize him, just as a snake fascinates and overpowers.” 

As he triumphs over the ants, Leiningen resumes his belief that they are no real match for him. This, unfortunately, suggests that he hasn’t learned any lesson from this experience. He believes, instead, that he became distracted by fear, which temporarily imperiled his resolve.