The short story “Leiningen Versus The Ants” written Carl Stephenson was first published in 1938 by Esquire magazine. The story took place on a Coffee Plantation located in Brazil in the 20th Century. Leiningen is a very intelligent man and he refuses to let an army of ants destroy all of his hard work to build the plantation. He is motivated to stay and fight even though the decision nearly led him and his workers to death.
Leiningen has a strong desire to save his plantation and his 480 workers. The intelligent army of ants will devour everything in their path and not let anything stop them from achieving their goal. The ants force him to use his intelligence to overpower them. Leiningen is motivated to stay and fight the ants because he has defeated other acts of god before.…show more content… For example, "One man struck with his spade at an enemy clump, did not draw it back quickly enough from the water; in a trice the wooden shaft swarmed with upward scurrying insects. With a curse, he dropped the spade into the ditch; too late, they were already on his body. They lost no time; wherever they encountered bare flesh they bit deeply; a few, bigger than the rest, carried in their hind-quarters a sting which injected a burning and paralyzing venom. " The man screamed and danced in pain. Leiningen demanded his to stick his hands in petrol. Two of his men freaked out. As soon as Leiningen turned his head, he noticed that two of his naked Indian workers leaped over the north side of the Petrol ditch. They leaped over the fence and ran fast, but their quickness did not save them. Quickly they noticed that the ants covered their body from head to toe. The men ran blindly and fell into the wide river, where crocodiles and piranhas were ready to feast on their bloodily