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Analysis on the open boat
Roles of nature in literature
Stephen crane biography essay
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“The Open Boat” by Stephen Crane There are many inspiring literary works from the short stories, plays and poems but there is one in particular that will have a lasting and profound effect on my perspective concerning the strength and determination of mankind, “The Open Boat” by Stephen Crane. Crane presents the epic battle of man against nature with such vivid imagery that it ignites the imagination. It is an attribute of mankind to seek supremacy against each other, fate and nature itself, as can be seen in this short story. The battle Crane describes begins as the survivors of a shipwreck, a group of four men, doggedly attempt to row a small lifeboat to shore amidst the turbulent waves and currents of a tempestuous ocean. “The Open Boat”, …show more content…
This conflict, although very real, is more about man’s ability to persevere and realize that nature simply exists with no evil intent, that in the scheme of the universe, man’s significance should not be based upon supposed supremacy. The intensity of the conflict with nature is shown with each stroke of the oars, each crash of the waves, and each bucket of water that is thrown overboard as the life boat takes on water. It is in the brutal reality of this setting that Crane acknowledges the setting as the antagonist within this tale. Nature bombards the lifeboat with a constant assault; the men are driven by the need to persevere in order to stay alive. As a result, there are moments in which a sense of fatalism can be seen as the Captain remarks, “If we don’t all get ashore – if we don’t all get ashore, I suppose you fellows know where to send news of my finish?” (344). These are crucial moments depicting that no matter the dedication and will to survive this ordeal, the lives of the men are still dependent upon the aspect of Nature being accommodating. It becomes an inner conflict against fatalism and the external conflict against nature. Crane’s representation of man’s epic battle against nature, is beyond the simple need to determine mankind’s place in the order of the universe, it is a tale denoting man’s ability to persevere in the
...He is still anchored to his past and transmits the message that one makes their own choices and should be satisfied with their lives. Moreover, the story shows that one should not be extremely rigid and refuse to change their beliefs and that people should be willing to adapt to new customs in order to prevent isolation. Lastly, reader is able to understand that sacrifice is an important part of life and that nothing can be achieved without it. Boats are often used as symbols to represent a journey through life, and like a captain of a boat which is setting sail, the narrator feels that his journey is only just beginning and realizes that everyone is in charge of their own life. Despite the wind that can sometimes blow feverishly and the waves that may slow the journey, the boat should not change its course and is ultimately responsible for completing its voyage.
Crane’s work, “The Open Boat,” is story based on his experience as a survivor
In the short story “ The Open Boat,” by Stephen Crane, Crane does an outstanding job creating descriptive images throughout the entire story. With saying this, Crane uses symbolism along with strong imagery to provide the reader with a fun and exciting story about four guys who 's fight was against nature and themselves. Starting early in the book, Crane creates a story line that has four men in a great amount of trouble in the open waters of the ocean. Going into great detail about natures fierce and powerful body of water, Crane makes it obvious that nature has no empathy for the human race. In this story, Crane shows the continuous fight that the four men have to endure in able to beat natures strongest body of water. It 's not just nature the men have to worry about though, its the ability to work together in order to win this fight against nature. Ultimately, Crane is able to use this story, along with its vast imagery and symbolism to compare the struggle between the human race and all of natures uncertainties.
Alistair Macleod’s “The Boat” is a tale of sacrifice, and of silent struggle. A parent’s sacrifice not only of their hopes and dreams, but of their life. The struggle of a marriage which sees two polar opposites raising a family during an era of reimagining. A husband embodying change and hope, while making great sacrifice; a wife gripped in fear of the unknown and battling with the idea of losing everything she has ever had. The passage cited above strongly presents these themes through its content
... out that nature, although it does impact the men's lives, does not have any connection to the outcome. With his short story, Crane challenges the idea that men and nature are connected spiritually. He even challenges the idea of religion by leaving the outcome of the men simply to the experience that they have. The boat, an oar, and some directions from their captain save the men from death, not a divine guide. One man simply does not make it to the shore alive. The view of man and nature within this story is somewhat pessimistic, pointing to the philosophy that we are hopeless in the face of circumstance. The point Crane makes in the end is that although people are often victims of circumstance, humans have one another to help survive difficult experiences.
The irony in Crane’s story “The Open Boat” is that, in describing the situation of the correspondent, who has come to understand his small role or position in relation to nature through manmade objects like the life-boat, Crane continues to give human qualities to inhuman things. For example, the narrator calls nature a “she”. For both Crane and correspondent, nature is an old, unstoppable force whose workings are always beyond their grasp. Crane bases his beliefs of nature off of his own prior
To close, it is represented in my essay that Crane is clearly out to give the "realistic" perspective on a society plagued with many problems, whereas Alger gives representation to the "mythic" aspect of life which is commonly phrased as "dreams come true."
“The Open Boat” was written by Stephen Crane in 1897. This is an extremely powerful short story fictionalized by one of Crane’s own experiences out at sea. He is able to use what has happened to him, and spice it up to turn his story into a fictional account everyone can relate to. The reasons this story is so powerful is because of the literary devices Crane uses throughout the story, especially symbolism. In “The Open Boat,” Crane uses the four main characters, the dinghy, the waves, and the sea-weed as symbols to produce a microcosm of society.
The human voyage into life is basically feeble, vulnerable, uncontrollable. Since the crew on a dangerous sea without hope are depicted as "the babes of the sea", it can be inferred that we are likely to be ignorant strangers in the universe. In addition to the danger we face, we have to also overcome the new challenges of the waves in the daily life. These waves are "most wrongfully and barbarously abrupt and tall", requiring "a new leap, and a leap." Therefore, the incessant troubles arising from human conditions often bring about unpredictable crises as "shipwrecks are apropos of nothing." The tiny "open boat", which characters desperately cling to, signifies the weak, helpless, and vulnerable conditions of human life since it is deprived of other protection due to the shipwreck. The "open boat" also accentuates the "open suggestion of hopelessness" amid the wild waves of life. The crew of the boat perceive their precarious fate as "preposterous" and "absurd" so much so that they can feel the "tragic" aspect and "coldness of the water." At this point, the question of why they are forced to be "dragged away" and to "nibble the sacred cheese of life" raises a meaningful issue over life itself. This pessimistic view of life reflects the helpless human condition as well as the limitation of human life.
Stephen Crane’s short story, “The Open Boat” speaks directly to Jack London’s own story, “To Build A Fire” in their applications of naturalism and views on humanity. Both writers are pessimistic in their views of humanity and are acutely aware of the natural world. The representations of their characters show humans who believe that they are strong and can ably survive, but these characters many times overestimate themselves which can lead to an understanding of their own mortality as they face down death.
“The Convergence of the Twain” by Thomas Hardy explains the beauty of the ship along this event with more of a calm to what it really should’ve been. Hardy’s attitude toward the sinking of the ship was more elegant. After reading “The Convergence of the Twain”, the speaker's attitude is more focused on fate because of the use of personification towards the ship, the use of key words, and imagery.
Stephen Crane’s story “The Open Boat” concerns four people who are trying to reach land after surviving a shipwreck off of the Florida coast. During the course of the story, they face dangers that are real physical threats, but they also have to deal with trying to make sense of their situation. The characters in this story cope with their struggles in two ways: individually, they each imagine that Nature, or Fate, or God, is behind their experiences, which allows them to blame some outside force for their struggle, and together, they form a bond of friendship that helps them keep their spirits up. .
From the beginning to the end of the "The Open Boat", the nature and sensitivity of the writing is one that is gloomy or a bit melancholy at times and the characters never seem to be free of danger. The four men are always struggling against something weather if it is battling the waves, sharks, their muscles (not strong enough), and their own mind at times, This nature in Stephen Crane's writing is what makes "The Open Boat", very naturalistic because it provides to a sense of cut-throat life and little
The struggle for survival by mankind can be found in many different settings. It can be seen on a battlefield, a hospital room or at sea as related in “The Open Boat”, written in 1897 by Stephen Crane. The story is based on his actual experiences when he survived the sinking of the SS Commodore off the coast of Florida in early 1897. “The Open Boat” is Stephen Crane’s account of life and death at sea told through the use of themes and devices to emphasize the indifference of nature to man’s struggles and the development of mankind’s compassion.
In the story "The Open Boat," by Stephen Crane, Crane uses many literary techniques to convey the stories overall theme. The story is centered on four men: a cook, a correspondent, Billie, an oiler who is the only character named in the story, and a captain. They are stranded in a lifeboat in stormy seas just off the coast of Florida, just after their ship has sunk. Although they can eventually see the shore, the waves are so big that it is too dangerous to try to take the boat in to land. Instead, the men are forced to take the boat further out to sea, where the waves are not quite as big and dangerous. They spend the night in the lifeboat and take turns rowing and then resting. In the morning, the men are weak and exhausted. The captain decides that they must try to take the lifeboat as close to shore as possible and then be ready to swim when the surf inevitably turns the boat over and throws the men into the cold sea. As they get closer to land a big wave comes and all the men are thrown into the sea. The lifeboat turns over and the four men must swim into shore. There are rescuers waiting on shore who help the men out of the water. Strangely, as the cook, captain and correspondent reach the shore safely and are helped out of the water, they discover that, somehow, the oiler has drowned after being smashed in the surf by a huge wave. (255-270) “The Open Boat’s” main theme deals with a character’s seemingly insignificant life struggle against nature’s indifference. Crane expresses this theme through a suspenseful tone, creative point of view, and a mix of irony.