The Open Boat Research Paper

There are many aspects that go into making a piece of work an enjoyable story. Stephen Crane used elements like narration, setting, and character to make “The Open Boat” a classic piece of literature. These key elements help to create symbols and a common theme that makes the short story the classic that it is today.

Symbolism allows writers to suggest their ideas within a piece of literature. This is found in most types of writing. Stephen Crane expresses this in his short story, The Open Boat. Through symbolism and allegory, it is demonstrated that humans live in a universe that is unconcerned with them. The characters in the story come face to face with this indifference and are nearly overcome by Nature’s lack of concern. This is established in the opening scenes, the “seven mad gods” and in the realization of the dying soldier. The descriptions that Crane uses in the opening scenes illustrate nature’s lack of concern for their tragedy. He discusses the waves in the ocean that continually roll and crest. The waves are problems or

Suddenly, a man appears on shore stripping his clothes off and running into the water. The rescuer

A Broken Tower, by Hart Crane, is a metaphor-rich poem that is very ambiguous but seems to describe the difficulties of the creative process and the way in which the artist is bound and compelled by it. Crane uses many religious metaphors and references, directly mentioning God and also bells, which are associated with churches. It is possible to interpret the poem in a religious sense, but it could be argued that religion and art are similar metaphors; that, for the poet, his writings are both a method of spiritual expression and a search for truth. The title, A Broken Tower, refers to a continuing metaphor in the poem and suggests the deconstruction of established paradigms which is necessary for artistic progress. Throughout the poem,

In the story "The Open Boat," by Stephen Crane, Crane uses many literary techniques to convey the stories overall theme. The story is centered on four men: a cook, a correspondent, Billie, an oiler who is the only character named in the story, and a captain. They are stranded in a lifeboat in stormy seas just off the coast of Florida, just after their ship has sunk. Although they can eventually see the shore, the waves are so big that it is too dangerous to try to take the boat in to land. Instead, the men are forced to take the boat further out to sea, where the waves are not quite as big and dangerous. They spend the night in the lifeboat and take turns rowing and then resting. In the morning, the men are weak and exhausted. The captain

Stephen Crane’s The Open Boat was based on real events. The details of this story were based on Crane’s experiences. The details directly follow the series of events that took place at an interval of Crane’s life. He was corresponding for a newspaper about the Spanish-American War, and was on a ship, the Commodore, which ran guns to Cuban insurgents in the late 1890’s.

Romanticism and modernism are two philosophical thoughts so unlike each other, modernism embracing the cold truth of reality in the industrialized world of 1920s America, romanticism this same world through rose filtered lenses, summed up in the words of Mr. F. Scott Fitzgerald, “we are all just humans… drunk on the idea that love, only love, could heal our broken bones.” Fitzgerald was a romantic living in the modernist 1920s, and his classic work The Great Gatsby was certainly a romantic book, and thusly did not succeed in his time; in fact, it did not succeed until after his death in the 1940s. Fitzgerald saw the green light, but it was just as out of reach to him as it was to Mr. Gatsby. Though The Great Gatsby was unappreciated

Modernism, especially during the 1920s, has always been a part of growing culture and literature. Independence, individualism, and materialism are all themes of how modernism affected culture and literature standards. Woman Settlers on the Frontier, Self Reliance, and The Great Gatsby are all literary examples of the development of a modern society. One of the major themes of modernism seen in culture and literature is the breaking of tradition as a self-dependent individual. Women were changing their standards against the traditional view that they should stay common housewives and should not be allowed to have the same opportunities as men during the 1800s through the 1920s.

Throughout my reading I have found that Crane uses many symbolic objects to depict true-life events. He uses symbols such as towers, animals, and waves. Crane leaves so much to the reader’s imagination that the story can be considered magical and mysterious. The composition leaves many details up to the readers inference, however after further research a full picture to the events that transpired that cold January are uncovered.

Every story, poem, play, and any piece of literature has at least one of many literary devices in common. Theme remains a constant part of every literary artwork. Modernism literature has themes that touch The Great Depression, the Harlem Renaissance, and post-World War 1 realism. Modernism began in 1915 right after the first World War; writers became jaded and bitter with experience. These themes are expressed in “A Dream Deferred’’ by Langston Hughes, “A Soldier’s Home” by Ernest Hemingway, and “On a Play Twice Seen” by F. Scott Fitzgerald.

The modernist period, stretching from the late 19th century to approximately 1960, is a very distinct phase in the progression of American literature, employing the use of novel literary techniques which stray away from the traditional literary styles observed in the time preceding the period. Modernist writers explore new styles themes, and content in their compositions, encompassing issues ranging from race (Kate Chopin) to gender (H.D.) to sexuality (James Baldwin), as well as many others. The Modernist movement, however novel and unique, did not develop spontaneously. A few writers leading up to the movement exhibit obvious modernist views in their writing. These include male writers Ralph

The psychological aspect behind its pages defines it as a true Modernist novel. Modernism was created during a time period when it was about reaching the top. When trying to get there, emotionally a person could excel or collapse. Ask any athlete during a state game. Ask any military officer in the midst of an attack. Ask any person when they have an obstacle standing between them and their goals. The stakes are high. The pressure is on. And anything can happen. Those people don’t define themselves by what they have. They identify themselves by what they make out of the things at hand and how they go about to finding

Crane’s short story “The Open Boat” gives readers an in-depth depiction of how the natural world has the ability to take the life of someone who may not deserve it. Throughout his story, he provides a symbolic meaning of the boat to represent everyday people having little control over their lives, implying that there are very few things we are able to do to direct it, like the men having a difficult time guiding the dinghy in the open sea. Crane also incorporates the oiler being the one to die to ironically attest his point of view towards destiny, being that we as individuals are unable to predict or control Mother Nature’s

"The Open Boat," by Stephen Crane, has been critiqued and deconstructed by many thinkers. One such critique is "The Dialogic Narrative of `The Open Boat'." This critique on Stephen Crane's "The Open Boat," was written by two authors: Sura P. Rath and Mary Neff Shaw. The authors focused on a five main points in the duration of this Critique. First Mikail Baktin's theory of the "Five basic types of discourses," are discussed and used in the deconstruction of "The Open Boat." The critique then delves into the use of first-person actor-character to third person spectator-narrator. Shaw and Rath then annotate the tonal quality of "The Open Boat." Fourthly the critique characterizes and analyzes the key figures of the Novel. Lastly

What further contributed to the rise of modernism was the First World War, which shell-shocked many. People lost their sense of certainty and it made them change their points of views. It made modernists question civilisation. This is seen in T.S Eliot’s poem “The Wasteland” which questions