Stephen Crane, the author of "The Open Boat" and "The Blue Hotel," uses the theme of the subtle brother hood of man in each story. The characters in each story are stranded, one group in the ocean, and the other in a blizzard. Forced into close proximity of each other, their actions reveal how being isolated together causes men to form bonds, which instill a sense of brotherhood. The sense of brotherhood and the bond that is formed out of necessity is depicted in "The Open Boat" and "The Blue Hotel.".
The setting of each short story causes the men to be isolated, and it is necessary for them to come together and help each other in order to survive. "The Open Boat" is set in the ocean, away from all civilization and land. They are off the coast of Florida, and the crashing waves prevent them from getting to shore. The boat they are in is extremely small, and any wave could capsize the boat. It is described by comparing it to a bath tub, one in which "Many a men ought to have a bath-tub larger than the boat." The isolation forces the men: the cook, the oiler, the captain, and the correspondent, to work together. Normally, these men would not be in an environment that would cause them to work so closely, but the sea and the obstacles force them to depend on one another for their own safety. This results in a subtle brotherhood, which is formed out of the necessity. They become a team, and each one has a duty. Each man is an intricate part of the boat, and the brotherhood is formed because the men have placed their safety in each other's hands. The isolation causes them to forgo their previous perceptions of each other, and place their trust in the other men on the boat. .
At the end of the story, the death of the oiler symbolizes the end of part of the brotherhood that had been established in the boat. The correspondent was relieved to make it back to land, but he also mourned the end of the experience because he had felt a connection with the other men.
