The Wager by David Grann: Summary & Analysis

The Wager by David Grann: Summary & Analysis

Summary: The Wager by David Grann In David Grann's The Wager , readers are transported to the 18th century, a time of empires clashing and high-seas adventures. The story begins during the War of Jenkins' Ear, a conflict that originated from a seemingly trivial incident – the alleged cutting off of a British sailor's ear by a Spanish sailor. However, beneath this surface, it was a struggle for supremacy between the British and Spanish empires in the New World. In 1740, His Majesty's Ship The Wager embarked on a covert mission to intercept a Spanish treasure ship off the Chilean coast. The journey was nothing short of perilous as the sailors rounded Cape Horn, battling the world's most powerful currents. Scurvy and typhus ravaged the crew, leaving them physically and psychologically scarred. Grann's narrative reveals the haunting toll these hardships took on the sailors, describing their bloodshot eyes, falling teeth, and rattling bones. As the story unfolds, Grann …