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Figure literary the open boat by stephen crane
Symbolism, imagery and metaphor in "The Open Boat" by Stephen Crane
The open boat by stephen crane symbolism
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Recommended: Figure literary the open boat by stephen crane
“The Open Boat””
“From the first moment [sentence referencing “the sky”], … The Open Boat proceeds as a traditional sea journey to knowledge, and the knowledge it attains is equally as mysterious or religious as that envisioned in other great American sea journeys ---…”
The “Open Boat” is a short story written by Stephen Crane (1871-1900). This story develops the tragic fate of the SS Commodore. This ship had for mission to transport ammunition for the Cuban rebels from Jacksonville, Florida to Cuba with his 28 Souls On Board. Unfortunately the ship sank after hitting a sandbar because of the fog. This story relates how the crew was fighting with the sea for his life and how they survived in the life raft during two long nights. In this paper we will argue the fact that despite some aspects, the “Open Boat” is still considered as a traditional sea journey.
So what makes it traditional? There is nothing more traditional than a Sea story with a shipwreck. Numerous stories related with the sea are narrating how ships were destroyed or were sinking in the sea. In the “Open Boat”, the story starts right after the shipwreck so the narrator does not tell any specific detail about it. Nevertheless the “shipwreck” is the starting point of the story. From “A Descent Into the Maelstrom”, to “Titanic”, the destruction of the ship is the most important part of the story because it either way starts or ends the story. The way that the shipwreck will take place will promote the story. In Titanic, when the boat hit the Iceberg, the sinking of the gigantic boat killed around a thousand and five hundred people. It happened more than a hundred years ago and we are still talking about it. This tragic story is an unforgettable part of the history...
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...er”. This is probably why the power of God is not present in this story.Unfortunately in the “Open Boat”, the crew had to surfer of the Sea’s behavior and nothing could help them. As Vincent Van Gogh said, “ every fishermen know that the sea is dangerous and the storm terrible, but they have never found these dangers sufficient reason for remaining ashore”.
Works Cited
Emeritius, Educator. "What Are the Main Themes of Stephen Crane's Short Story "The Open Boat"? - Homework Help - ENotes.com." Enotes.com. Enotes.com, 14 Aug. 2012. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.
"Life of Pi Quotes." By Yann Martel. N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.
Raymond, William. "A Vocabulary of Culture and Society." N.p., n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.
The Billion Dollar Film Club." The Telegraph. Telegraph Media Group, 01 Aug. 2011. Web. 23 Nov. 2013
Van Gogh, Vincent. BrainyQuote. Xplore, n.d. Web. 23 Nov. 2013.
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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 characters also are involved in the belief of the anti-transcendental philosophy. The story shows how each character acts with nature and each other. Many of the whalers must protect the boat and each other as they trek through the wild tides and horrible weather conditions. They try their hardest to fight these conditions, but sadly the narrator is the only survivor. These men exemplify the philosophy by fighting the animals; especially the whales ...
Both authors use very different methods to achieve the same effect on their readers. The amalgamation of the diverse techniques Crane and Proulx utilize creates a solemn atmosphere in both stories. “Job History” and “The Open Boat” portrays characters that are void of personality. This absence of personality prevents the reader from true empathy or understanding of the characters.
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. .
The Old Man and the Sea is a heroic tale of man’s strength pitted against forces he cannot control. It is a tale about an old Cuban fisherman and his three-day battle with a giant Marlin. Through the use of three prominent themes; friendship, bravery, and Christianity; the “Old Man and the Sea” strives to teach important life lessons to the reader.
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