...nature. Your struggle may be as little as trying to change a tire in the middle of a rain storm or as severe as expressed in Stephen Crane’s story The Open Boat. From the beginning of time man has pondered the question as to “Why was I placed here on Earth?” We tend to see ourselves as being important, that we have to leave our mark in order for life to have some sort of meaning. In this story, four men, known simply as the captain, the oiler, the correspondent, and the cook, become stranded in the sea in a small boat. Together they are forced to bare the torments of one of Mother Nature’s toughest challenges, the open sea. In this process these four men learn much about nature and just how little they are on Earth. One of the characters, the correspondent, comes to the realization that nature is indifferent despite the struggles of the individuals, “When it occurs to a man that nature does not regard him as important, and that she feels she would not maim the universe by disposing of him…” (para, 174). The captain, who is seen as a symbol of strength to the other men on the boat, has doubt as to whether they can make it to shore safely, “Then the captain, in the bow, chuckled in a way that expressed humor, contempt, tragedy, all in one. “Do you think we’ve got much of a show now, boys?” (para, 25). The men in the boat are still upset with what fate has dealt them and seem to have the same opinion that they are still in control of their outcome, “If I am going to be...
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...In Stephen Crane’s “The Open Boat”, Crane demonstrates his idea that man cannot even attempt to best nature by the isolation and trials of the men in nature, the hardships that even the best of men face, and the lack of understanding of nature while isolated in the sea. Stephen Crane starts off the story by leaving the men in isolation from the world, a test, which they fail, if they could best nature without help except for their abilities as humans not connected to nature. The men, from the beginning of the journey feel despair. Even though they rowed for so long all the men discovered “that after successfully surmounting one wave you discover that there is another behind it” (Crane 604). The men knew from the beginning of the journey towards safety, that the waves in the sea, an example of nature, would best the men from its endurance. The men depended on the wind that nature provided them because they rode in a dingy that “man ought to have a bath-tub larger than the boat which” (603) they rode in. Second, the men cannot reach the shore by any means. Even though the “light-house had been growing slowly larger” (607), the men never reach the light-house. The lack of ability to reach the light-house shows that the men are not in touch with nature, in this case the sea, leading to their inability to reach the island. Lastly, the man cannot converse with the other men on shore, showing nature’s ability to disrupt man’s methods for communication. The men seemed dazzled and confused...
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...Alec Orozco Mr. Tom Treffinger ENG 102-005 4 March 2015 Correspondent’s Epiphany in “The Open Boat” In Stephen Crane’s story “The Open Boat”, Crane seems to focus on the struggle of man versus nature. The struggle is shown throughout the whole story, but is most clearly seen when the correspondent seems to be on the verge of death. The correspondent begins to see how nature “views” humanity. The four men who are on the boat all start to see that though they may have worked hard to live their lives, nature does not seem to care who lives or dies. In “The Open Boat”, there are four men trying to survive on a small boat there believe is smaller than a bathtub should be (Crane, 339). This posed a problematic situation because the “waves were most wrongfully and barbarously abrupt and tall, and each froth-top was a problem in small-boat navigation” (339). During this trial in the four men’s lives, the correspondent begins to contemplate on various things about their situation and his own life. One of the correspondent’s thoughts is “’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’”(350). The meaning behind this particular thought is the correspondent is wondering why he is living his life so long just to have it taken away for no real reason. Then the correspondent begins to ponder the death of “A soldier of the...
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...The Open Boat and Desiree’s Baby The main theme of Stephen Crane short story, The Open Boat is survival. There are several different sub themes throughout the short story. I was intrigued by this story because this astonishing tale is true. This author was indeed fighting for his life at sea. One of the thematic concerns is that the sea does not care if the men live or die. A singular disadvantage of the sea lies in the fact that after successfully surmounting one wave you discover that there is another behind it just as important and just as nervously anxious to do something effective in the way of swamping boats. (Ch.1) 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...
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...“The Open Boat” Compassion, determination, and courage. These words are found in every aspect of daily life. In all different literary genres. “The Open Boat” a short story written in the late 1800’s is a good example of each word. Though they come in different settings the words always mean the same thing. Compassion means to show deep love, care and warmth for another living thing. Determination means to never ever give up and to keep on trying no matter how hopeless the situation may seem. Courage, is bravery in a sense. Though it can come in many different forms. In the story “The Open Boat” Stephen Crane demonstrates,Compassion, courage and determination through his three characters: the correspondent, the oiler and the captain. George Perkins and R.W. Stallman wrote that.Stephen Crane was born in Newark, New Jersey in the year 1871. Throughout his life he accomplished many great things. His father died when he was...
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...The two characters that stand out as being victim of the shaping forces of naturalisms is Paul in Cather’s “Paul’s Case” and the Correspondent in Crane’s “The Open Boat”. In one character it is naturalistic determinate Environment, and the other environment and hereditary. In Crane’s “The Open Boat” the correspondent and other kin, representing different characters within society, are at the mercy of the relentless sea. The sea, which in the story represents life, besides being beyond man’s sphere of influence, is an unpredictable and merciless environment as Crane vividly describes “these waves were most wrongfully and barbarously abrupt and tall”. The Correspondent, throughout his ordeal at sea, tries to reason and make sense of the...
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...The Open Boat was not just a creative short story, it was the portrayal of Stephen Crane’s own experience as a survivor of a shipwreck of the Commodore. The characters in the story were highly influenced by the actual crew members, along with Crane himself. The Correspondent, who was the survivor of the shipwreck, was Stephen Crane; the Captain was modeled after the real-life steamship captain, Edward Murphy; the Oilier was one of the crewman of the Commodore and was modeled after the real-life oilier; and the Cook another crewman of the ship who bailed water from the lifeboat was modeled after a man named Charles B. Montgomery. This short story is about how man has deal with trying to beat nature, the men go through a growth of thought...
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...Although the four characters on the boat worked as a team to survive, the character most responsible for the ending is the oiler because he is hardworking, realistic, and loyal. To begin with, the oiler, sometimes referred to as Billie, demonstrates the ability and willingness to work hard. Even before the steamer sunk, the narrator reveals that the oiler "had worked double-watch in the engine-room"(363), proving the oiler a dedicated worker. The oiler helps the correspondent row the boat, not complaining when it is his turn to take up this tiring labor. He rows on even after "overpowering sleep blinded him"(369). Without his work ethic, the survivors may not have been able to keep their boat afloat. Second, the oiler is realistic about the men's chances of survival. He never loses sight of the difficulties the crew will have to face. While the correspondent and the cook are arguing about the difference between a life-saving station and a house of refuge, the oiler points out that they are "not there yet, anyhow"(360). His realistic interpretation of the situation does not provide false hope, but rather paints his companions a more accurate picture of the workload ahead of them. At one point, the captain tries to reassure the men that they will "get ashore all right"(361), but the men are not convinced due to the tone in his voice. The oiler is the first one to add to the captain's comment with a realistic sense of optimism that they will make it "if this wind holds!"(361). Lastly...
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...U-boat 977 opens with Schaeffer recalling his voyages in the German navy after spotting a news article about his boat. Schaeffer goes on to talk about his encounter arriving at Argentina with the crew that stuck by him on the journey. The first chapter ends with the question of how they believed Hitler was aboard his own submarine. Schaeffer takes us then on a brief recollection of his upbringing in Berlin. We learn of his admiration for sailing, and how at such a young age he earned the right to sail any boat on the inland waters of Germany. After persuading his father, Schaeffer begins the naval cadetship exams. War broke out soon after he finished, and young Schaeffer would begin his extensive training in the German navy. We’re taken alongside Schaeffer as he...
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...Surratt The Open boat is a short story written and published in 1897. It was written by Stephen Crane detailing his thirty hour experience stranded in the ocean after the S.S. Commodore sank. Stephen, at the time, was a newspaper correspondent and was on his way to Cuba for a job. Crane, along with three others, survived the ship wreck. Once they knew the S.S. Commodore was sinking, they were rescued and boarded a small boat. Shortly after their rescue, Stephen created a short story in which he narrated his personal account. The story is soon published by Scribner’s Magazine. He received praise in America and England for his literary naturalism provided in the story. Throughout Crane’s career as an author, and in the present day, The Open Boat is, in most critics’ opinion, Stephen’s best work as an author. The major theme in this short story is “Man vs Nature”. Crane gives an in-depth, detailed account of what he and three other men experienced against the raging sea. One example of the conflict is, from the start of the story, Crane gives a description of how much visibility there is to navigate the boat. He writes, “These waves were of the hue of slate, save for the tops, which were of foaming white, and all of the men knew the colors of the sea” (Crane, 1897). This gives readers an image that for miles nothing other than waves of water could be seen, making it almost impossible to direct the boat in those conditions. Though navigation of the boat had seemed all but...
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...of goals not yet accomplished, thoughts of love lost, and thoughts of an early, unjust death. In his short story, “The Open Boat”, Stephen Crane places all four of his characters in the face of grave danger, where they consider the chance of their own untimely death. Death is a theme in this story because Crane uses dark atmospheric undertones, dark language usage and imagery, and the situations that the characters face forces them to consider their own demise. Before they challenge their demise, the characters, crunched uncomfortably in a dinghy thrown around on the violent and threatening sea, are known as an injured Captain, a cook, an oiler, and a correspondent. It is unknown to the reader how the Captain was injured, and because of his injury he cannot help his crew but by orders from his mouth. “There was something strange in his voice. Although steady, it was deep with mourning and of a quality beyond oration or tears” (344). This displays the Captain’s inability to help. He feels helpless with his injury and feels sorry, possibly guilty and maybe feels like there is no hope left for his crew. Crane uses many dark undertones, imagery and word usage in this short story to depict a theme of death. The “wrath of the sea” is described as having black (often associated with death) waves, with water that is cold, sad and tragic. (345/358) Rowing the boat is thought to be “diabolical punishment” and a “crime against the back” because of the strain on the back, and rowing...
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...The open boat Eric Tietz ENG 302 Twentieth century American literature March 28, 2011 Professor Maker The open boat As the small boat is getting tossed around in the rough sea’s, four men struggle to survive natures beast, the ocean. Due to a shipwreck these four men were stranded at sea. These four men were stranded at sea. These four men consisted of the following; a cook, who is not in shape and very messy, as he attempts to dump out water out of the small boat. An oiler by the name of billie who is physically the strongest man on the boat, rowing with one oar. Another unnamed correspondent who is rowing with the one other oar. Lastly, the captain of the ship who is severely injured laying down in the bottom of the boat. The article reveals some of the characteristics of these men, stating that the cook is the most talkative out of the four. This for one can lead to tension because repeatedly discussing whether or not if they will be found or rescued can cause frustration. Especially given the circumstances. The cook seems to over talk himself causing the men to keep over thinking and further downing hope. Also a few of the crew members may be tired and irritated of the constant annoying talking of the cook which could possibly lead to tension. In an environmental aspect, waves amongst waves are crashing over this tiny boat, in this large sea, day and night. The highest tension can be seen here in the article as they struggle to dump the sea...
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...Thomas Dobson Professor Perez Literature 221 25 August 2013 Naturalism When must people think of naturalism they think of nature, and people who love the nature. That is not what naturalism is when it comes to literature. Naturalism is where the character in a story are caught in the forces of nature, and they have no control of their situation. Both Stephen Crane and Jack London did a great job with their short stories when portraying the writing style of naturalism. “The Open Boat” by Stephen Crane four men are on a boat when bad weather approaches them. They have to work together in order to survive this. In “To Build a Fire” by Jack London a man is at war with everything that the nature is putting in his path. He has no control at what is being thrown at him. The short story “To Build a Fire” by Jack London is about a man trying to escape death. The man is in Alaska, and decides to go on a walk with his dog. He is new to the area, and does not understand how bad the conditions really are. The man is supposed to meet up with a few friends at six o’clock. It starts getting colder, and the conditions are starting to worsen. The man falls down, and the snow gets him wet all the way up to his knees. So, he starts a fire to dry himself off, but the ice falls from a tree and kills the fire. He is not able to build another fire. By this point he is beginning to become frostbitten. He has a plan to kill his dog, and stuff his hands inside the dog to rebuild his circulation...
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...Comparison of Stephen Crane's "The Open Boat" and Jack London's "To Build a Fire" Two prominent American literature works, Stephen Crane’s “The Open Boat” and Jack London’s “To Build a Fire” portray the man vs. nature theme. These two pieces are alike and different in many ways. I can agree and disagree on the survival methods used by both authors, although Crane’s methods seemed a bit more questionable. While nature seemed to toy with the crew of the boat in “The Open Boat”, the old man in “To Build a Fire” seems to toy with nature by ignoring its signs to stop and to relinquish his failing journey. In the following paragraphs I’d like to get into the trenches of these two adventure stories. These two authors share similar traits when it comes to connections and reasons for writing these stories. Stephen Crane wrote “The Open Boat” based on a real life experience he went through. It was on December 31, 1896 when Crane left the Florida panhandle en-route for Cuba. His mission was to cover the war as a correspondent. On January 2, his ship sank and he and the other three crew members were forced to make the rest of the 30 hour trip in a small dinghy back to the United States (SN). This real life experience compares to Jack London’s real life journey through the Yukon Territory in 1897, around the same time as Crane’s sea adventure. London scavenged the area with others around that time in search for gold (Rees). While the gold rush was ultimately not as successful as he had...
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...Tuesday 7/9 “To build a fire” Describe the different viewpoints of the man of the dog. Thursday 7/11 “The open Boat” What are the different social roles of the four men in the boat? How does their social standing affect their character and the natural forces they struggle against? There were four men in the boat. They were the correspondent, the oiler, the cook and the captain. Each of them had their unique characteristics and their own social roles. The correspondent functions as a narrator of the story and he seems to be the only one who observes the waves and wonders why he is caught on the ocean at the first place. He wonders whether he was meant to be drowning in the ocean and curses 7 gods of sea. The oiler is the hardest worker in the boat in order to survive. He does not think or share his mind but only follows the captain’s orders. Ironically, even though his contribution towards the survival, he is the only one who does not make it. Unlike the correspondent and the oiler, the cook doesn’t paddle due to lack of ability. However he seems to be only positive thinkers in the boat and he bails water out to avoid sinking. When he saw a land, he imagines himself of his favorite pie in the middle of survival. Finally the captain is the leader; he is very calm and makes best decision in order to secure crews’ life. At the beginning of the story, he was miserable as he lost his ship and was injured. However throughout the story he shows he responsibility to save...
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