The chain is a recurring metaphor that describes the inescapable conflict between Ben and Madec. When Ben wakes to find Madec destroying the catch basin that was his only chance at water, Ben realizes that “He and this man Madec were locked together, chained together in a struggle for life itself” (69).

The chain also plays a role in Ben’s decision to confront Madec. He notes the chain is much longer when he’s on the butte, but it keeps him in the conflict, nonetheless. He thinks: “that chain must be drawn shorter. It must be drawn in link by link until he and I are face to face […] I must either go to him or I must pull him to me” (117-118).

Ben mentions the chain disappearing when he believes he can drive away in the Jeep, but it reappears again when he cannot find the rotor. As he did when he is in the tunnel, he uses the idea of the chain to develop his plan for moving forward: “He, not Madec, must gather in that chain. He must draw Madec to him, closer and closer until at last he could reach out with his hand and touch him” (152).