The Open Boat by Stephen Crane Essay

Humanity often tends to see itself as being somehow important in the grand scheme of the Universe. We speak of 'fate' as if we were put here for some reason, or purpose. We have our religions, which often serve as an engine to drive our lives and as a means to give meaning to them. But why do we think of ourselves in such a superior fashion? Do we really matter at all? Would the Universe stop if we were suddenly taken away? In his short story, 'The Open Boat,' Stephen Crane shows us a Universe totally unconcerned with the affairs of humankind; it is an indifferent Universe in which Man has to struggle to survive. The characters in the story come face to face with this indifference and are nearly overcome

“The Open Boat” offers a sense of vulnerability in its setting beginning with the title. “Open” is a powerful choice of word, synonyms are vacant, unsheltered, and unsecured, all sounding quite negative. Both stories are located far away from Man’s comfort zone. London mentions “man’s general weakness” from the start. Through out the two stories, the reader watches the men who begin with so much hope lose it as time progresses. The men in the boat, reflecting on how unfair it would be for them to die after all his hard work personifies nature as a “she” as if he sees nature as a motherly figure who is obligated to care for him. “She dare not drown me. She cannot drown me. Not after all this work.” In “To Build a Fire”, the author compares the dog’s feelings to be closer to the truth than the man’s judgment. The finishing line of “The Open Boat” reads, “When it came night, the white waves paced to and fro in the moonlight, and the wind brought the sound of the great sea’s voice to the men on the shore, and they felt that they could then be interpreters.” It is peaceful and makes the reader question, what is it that the men now understand? One could jump to the conclusion that the men now know the truth that could have saved the foolish man in “To Build a Fire” and the oiler, the truth that the dog and the animals knew all along, and the rest of the men on the boat have now been enlightened with. The men know

The Open Boat, written by Stephen Crane is discusses the journey of four survivors that were involved in a ship wreck. The oiler, the cook, the captain, and the correspondent are the survivors that make onto a dingey and struggle to survive the roaring waves of the ocean. They happen to come across land after being stranded in the ocean for two days and start to feel a sense of hope that they would be rescued anytime soon. They began feeling down as they realize nobody was going to rescue them and make an attempt to reach shore. The story discusses an external conflict of man vs nature to help state clearly the central idea. The central idea of the story conveys man’s success against nature when ones’ abilities are combined together to increase the chances of survival. The use of 3rd person limited omniscience and character analysis helps to explain how the journey of the men’s survival to get out of the ocean and reach shore is able to succeed while Stephen Crane uses symbolism to demonstrate the unity created amongst the survivors.

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

"The Boat" by Alistair MacLeod is the story told from the perspective of university teacher looking back on his life. The narrator relates the first memories of his life until his father's death. The story focuses on the conflicting relation between the mother and the father, and their different perspectives on how their children should lead their lives. MacLeod uses features of setting to present the tension between tradition and freedom.

"The Open Boat'' begins with a description of men aboard a small boat on a rough sea. These men are all survivors of a shipwreck. There is the cook, overweight and sloppily dressed, who is trying to remove water from the bottom of the boat. The oiler, a physically powerful man named Billie who is rowing with one oar. There is

Even though the oiler suffered on his journey on the open boat all of the characters were victims of life’s unfortunate and twisted series of events. These four men have possibly gone through a shipwreck that left them stranded in the middle of the ocean without any tools for survival aside from a small dinghy. This event in itself is unfortunate enough, but for these men it is barley the beginning. They endure rough seas, fatigue and endless rowing alongside several other complications during their desolation at sea. Nearing the end of the story a large and furious wave completely runs

The short story “The Boat” by Alistair MacLeod is narrated by a man who comes from a fishing family. His mother’s side of the family has forever lived and worked by the sea and continues this tradition. The narrator’s father always wanted to be an academic, but worked on the boat to support his family. Through this passage it is evident that the parents’ characters clash in many aspects of their lives and are in constant conflict. MacLeod demonstrates this through the use of repetition, the contrast in other unrelated ideas, and through information that is withheld.

The boat represents the only way of life for the family due to the tradition of it being passed down the family. But the boat can cause disruption throughout the family because it is the center of attention for the family. The author was introduced to the fisherman lifestyle when he was a kid, “when I was very small he took me for my first ride,” (224) which can symbolize the family trying to get the author ready for the future. The mother (whose family passed down the boat) had a strong connection due to growing up with the boat being in her life. The mother put a lot of pressure on the family to stay in the family business and not go elsewhere. When she found out about the daughters leaving, the author said, “she was worried about herself and about her family and her life,” indicating her devotion towards the boat. The daughters were able to find a different path and move away from the boat and so did the son but it wasn't as easy for him. He felt the most pressure being the youngest and the only male in the family next to his father saying, “I would remain with him as long as he lived and we would fish the sea together,” (234) putting the father in a tough spot since he wanted his son to

“The Open Boat” is a short story written by Steven Crane about four men stranded on a dinghy after their boat had sunk over night. The men were struggling to stay alive because it seemed as if they had no hope for survival. The four stranded shipmen were a correspondent, an oiler, a cook, and a captain. The theme of the story is that man has no control over his destinies and that nature controls everything. Naturalist themes prevail in Stephen Crane's “The Open Boat” as it demonstrates naturalist literature through the struggle that nature throws at the men. Naturalism arises throughout the men’s constant battle between their surrounding environment and keeping

The Open Boat is a tragic tale by Stephen Crane of four men contemplating what seems like their inevitable death. This paragraph above serves as a quality passage on its own and as an interesting part of the entire story as the author repeats it often. The text is a beautiful paragraph, perhaps the most flowery writing in the entire work. Lines such as "to nibble the sacred cheese of life" and "name of the seven mad gods who

The men eventually found another shore and decided that the better dock their boat there or else they may not get another opportunity. In this scenario is when Crane uses a lot of irony. While rowing, one of the men continually recited words saying, “If I am going to be drowned – if I am going to be drowned – if I am going to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea, was I allowed to come thus far and contemplate sand and trees?” (Crane 590). This phrase is extremely ironic because it makes sense. Why would someone’s life plan be to survive just far enough to see where they could continue to survive, and then die? It is almost like a teasing joke. Once the men got closer to the shore, they realized that they would not be able to get their boat completely to land

“The Open Boat” by Stephen Crane is a short story included in The Norton Introduction to Literature. In it, we embark on the journey of four men, whose ship has sunk and are now adrift. The characters fight for survival throughout the whole tale, trying to withstand nature. As the story passes, they realize that nature is indifferent and uncaring. Moreover, they begin to question the existence of God. Ultimately, three of the men survive and one of them dies. Stephen Crane’s “The Open Boat” shows the struggle of men attempting to understand nature and desiring to survive against this invincible and indifferent force. I will analyze literary elements of character, plot, and symbol, using Literary Naturalism to demonstrate this constant conflict between man and nature that plays out in “The Open Boat.”

The short story begins with the four crew members stranded in the ocean. There is no direct statements that tell us how they got in the small boat. Nevertheless, the point of view is third person limited. Consequently, their perception of their situation is bleak is seen as bleak “None of them new the color of the sky”(246). The crew members stay focused on the ocean waves. Furthermore, this causes their perception to be similar in a sort. However it’s entirely

Central Character: There is no real central character in this story. All the men on the boat are spoken about more or less equally and no prominent character jumps out at the reader as being the central character. Although more emphasis is put onto the correspondent, and Billie the oiler.