It is a mythological allusion because its meaning is that of Neptune, the Roman God of the seas. Neptune is the Roman counterpart of the Greek God Poseidon.
The conflict in this short story is man v. nature. Their ship wrecked and they had to battle the open sea in a tiny dingy boat. The battled the harsh surf, weather, waves and storms of the open sea.
Summary:
One rainy day, Victor wakes to find his old feelings of despair resurfacing. He decides to travel to the summit of Montanvert, hoping that the view of a pure, eternal, beautiful natural scene will revive his spirits. When he reaches the glacier at the top, he is momentarily consoled by the sublime spectacle. As he crosses to the opposite side of the glacier, however, he spots a creature loping toward him at incredible speed. At closer range, he recognizes clearly the grotesque shape of the monster. He issues futile threats of attack to the monster, whose enormous strength and speed allow him to elude Victor easily.
These statistics are essential to plan for the health services. They give an insight of a region's well-being and data to invest into to technological advancements. For instance, informed about the incidence of disease can help our society gather research and resources to prevent it from spreading.
