The four men in The Open Boat by Stephen Crane all depended on one another for certain task to survive. The cook, the oiler, the correspondent, and the injured captain all made it possible for the men to survive and find land. The cook, the oiler, and the correspondent all had the physical jobs of the small boat, as the injured captain was unable to and just directed them in their tasks. .
The men knew they had to rely on one another to survive so they agreed with one another easily trying to keep conflict on this small boat down. The only conflict between two was the cook and the correspondent the oiler stepped in and helped solve it. "As soon as who see us?" said the correspondent.
"The crew," said the cook.
"Houses of refuge don't have crews," said the correspondent. "As I understand them, they are only places where clothes and grub are stored for the benefit of shipwrecked people. They don't carry crews.".
"Oh, yes, they do," said the cook.
"No, they don't," said the correspondent.
"Well, we're not there yet, anyhow," said the oiler, in the stern.
"Well," said the cook, "perhaps it's not a house of refuge that I'm thinking of as being near Mosquito Inlet Light. Perhaps it's a life-saving station.".
"We're not there yet," said the oiler, in the stern. (1).
Physically the men needed each other to live without one the other wouldn't survive the horrible sea's waves. The two that took on the most grueling task were the correspondent and the oiler. These two men unlike the cook rowed the boat constantly they took turns of rowing the boat and sleeping. These men did whatever the captain asked of them with no question. On the contrary the cook seemed lazy only bailing out as much water as he could, which was an endless task, but not near the task of rowing the boat. The captain on the other hand did all he could with an injured arm. He was awake almost the entire time to make sure the men had the guidance they needed to go ashore.
