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The Open Boat

            
             The Open Boat by Stephen Crane discusses the moral dilemmas of the men on this boat. The sense of loyalty that they feel to help one another helps shape the fate of the four men. Although the actions of these four men do affect their fate Mother Nature also shapes the fate of these four men. The loyalty that these four men feel towards one another and the actions of Mother Nature help to shape the destiny of the four men.
             The four men while traveling on this boat feel that they have to test many of their morals. The captain is hurt and the other men feel as if it is their duty to take over. The action of the other three men affects their survival. The men all realize that they have to work together to come out of this thing alive. This realization is most seen in the correspondent. The correspondent states that he as well as the other three have been taught to be cynical of men, but he realizes that he has shared this tragedy with the other three men on the boat and this forces him to form a comradeship that goes far beyond this experience. The correspondent also feels as if this experience is probably the best he or any of the other men have ever had. The correspondent then remembers a childhood verse about a dying solider. The correspondent felt his sympathy go towards this solider. Due to the situation that the correspondent is currently facing he feels he can relate to the dying solider. The correspondent realizes what it is like to be alone in this world but he also realizes that he doesn't have to be alone. The correspondent finally understands what it means to be human. He understands that as a human he has an obligation to help out other humans, this way when he is in need of help there will be some one there to help him. This moral revelation made by the correspondent greatly influences his fate. As the night continues the correspondent does his part in rowing the boat.


Essays Related to The Open Boat

1. The Open Boat

The cosmic irony in The Open Boat is symbolized by indifference, isolation and insignificance. ... The story's theme is based on the plight of the boat in the open sea. ... The boat's plight in the open sea is a demonstration of this helplessness. Stephen Crane's naturalistic overtones, symbolism and realism are the chief elements of The Open Boat. ... "Interpreting the uninterpretable: Unreasoning nature and heroic endurance in Crane's 'The Open Boat'." ...

  • Word Count: 1130
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

2. The Open Boat

In the story, The Open Boat by Stephen Crane, the central theme deals with man versus nature (naturalism), and shows the insignificance of life. This is expressed in the story by the way the characters are pitted in a small boat after surviving a shipwreck. ... An example of this comes from the way the men are constantly battling against the open sea, and no matter what they do nature has a stronghold on them. ... I believe the title of this story, The Open Boat, ties into the theme, because in a way the boat being open is the exposure of men to the natural elements, which in turn causes th...

  • Word Count: 304
  • Approx Pages: 1
  • Grade Level: High School

3. The open boat

In his short story, "The Open Boat," Stephen Crane shows us a Universe, which is totally unconcerned with the affairs of humankind; it is an indifferent Universe in which Man has to struggle to survive. ... The boat gets tossed around as the ocean moves at its will and pleasure with total disregard for the boat and its passengers. ... This action does save the boat from capsizing. ... The ordeal in the open boat conveys to us a world without higher purpose, an apathetic universe in which our lives only have personal meaning but no relevance in the greater scheme of things. ... The naturalism o...

  • Word Count: 1369
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

4. The Open Boat

In The Open Boat by Stephen Crane, four men drift across the sea, in a boat smaller than an average bathtub. ... In The Open Boat, the universe is totally unconcerned with the affairs of humankind. ... Come to the boat!" ... However, it dwelt in the boat, and each man felt it warm him."" ... The Open Boat beautifully displays how the human spirit can endure through trying times, and how a simple commonality between you and another can keep you from feeling completely alone....

  • Word Count: 1430
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: High School

5. The open boat

The four men in The Open Boat by Stephen Crane all depended on one another for certain task to survive. ... These two men unlike the cook rowed the boat constantly they took turns of rowing the boat and sleeping. ... Without the cook the water would have swamped the boat much sooner than it did. ... The correspondent being worn out floats back to the boat, but eventually makes it to shore. ... They didn't know death until they were out to sea in this small boat. ...

  • Word Count: 620
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

6. The Open Boat

The Open Boat A formalist reading of The Open Boat by Stephen Crane demands that the reader takes into consideration the elements of style employed by Crane in the story as well as the thematic symbolism which occurs within the work as well. ... Thus The Open Boat on its own provides the material for this study of the text and Crane's piece certainly lends itself very nicely to this kind of criticism because of the rich and vibrant imagery within the story. The Open Boat is a story about what happens when man is pitted against the forces of nature; in this case it would be the ocean ...

  • Word Count: 1542
  • Approx Pages: 6
  • Grade Level: Undergraduate

7. Open Boat

Stephen Crane's short story of the open boat is very symbolic in many ways. ... The men are hoping that a rescue boat will come out and get them, but their hopes are lost. They must then take the boat further out to sea where the waves are not as destructive. ... The captain makes the bold decision to take the boat closer into the shore until the boat can no longer sustain the power of the sea. At that point they must exit the boat and attempt to swim to shore. ...

  • Word Count: 531
  • Approx Pages: 2
  • Grade Level: High School

8. The Open Boat

He combined his view of naturalism along with sarcasm to create the short story "The Open Boat." ... Crane uses this in his story as nature and its elements, such as the ocean, to have no sympathy for the men being stranded in a boat. ... Crane opens the story with the four men, just simply known as the captain, the oiler, the correspondent, and the cook, all stranded in the ocean in a small boat. ... "The waves were nervously anxious to do something effective in the way of swamping boats" (McMichael 1495). ... Crane uses fate as a way to explain why naturalism has brought each character o...

  • Word Count: 705
  • Approx Pages: 3
  • Has Bibliography
  • Grade Level: High School

9. Open Boat

"Open Boat" written by Stephen Crane is a story of four men who had to abandon a ship and survive on a life boat until they reached shore. ... The men had to live out in the water in very bad waves for a day and had to last the night in the boat. The short story "Open Boat" is a great example of an autobiographical fiction. ... He wrote a newspaper article about his experience on the life boat with the survivors. ... The beginning of the story is abrupt and blunt because the author wants us all to be immediately in the boat and realize there struggle. ...

  • Word Count: 1201
  • Approx Pages: 5
  • Grade Level: High School

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