Indifference to Anxiety in Crane's The Open Boat In recent years, critical response to Stephen Crane's The Open Boat has shifted dramatically, focusing less on the tale's philosophical agendas than on its epistemological implications. The story no longer stands as merely a naturalistic depiction of nature's monumental indifference or as simply an existential affirmation of fife's absurdity. Instead, we have slowly come to realize a new level of the text, one that, according to Donna Gerstenberger, explores "man's limited capacities for knowing reality" (557). Gerstenberger's conclusion that the tale "may be best viewed as a story with an epistemological emphasis, one which constantly reminds its reader of the impossibility of man's knowing anything, even that which he experiences" (560), is further developed by Thomas L. Kent: If we insist that the text be interpreted naturalistically, if we insist, that the text must have some sort of overarching meaning --- even a meaning that shows the universe to be existentially absurd --- we place ourselves in the same boat as the deluded castaways [who "felt that, they could then be interpreters"]. On both the narrative and extra-textual levels, the subject of "The Open Boat" is epistemology, and the text suggests that meaning in the universe is secondary to man's ability to preceive [sic] it. (264) Building upon the insights of Gerstenberger, Kent and others, l hope to show bow the structure of "The Open Boat" creates an epistemological dilemma, moving the reader from a position of epistemological indifference to a state of epistemological anxiety. Four key moments in the story create this shift from indifference to anxiety: first, in Section 1, the opening sentence... ... middle of paper ... ...st way allowing us to know what it is they are now interpreters of, Crane highlights more than our own inability to achieve interpretation, to gain access to knowledge. Rather, he has placed us in such a position that we must shed our casual indifference to our epistemological failures and embrace, unwillingly perhaps, the anxiety that will attend all of our efforts to "read" life's impenetrable meanings. WORKS CITED Crane, Stephen. "The Open Boat." The University of Virginia Edition of the Works of Stephen Crane: Volume V, Tales of Adventure. Ed. Fredson Bowers. Charlottesville: UP of Virginia, 1970. Gerstenberger, Donna. "'The Open Boat': An Additional Perspective." Modern Fiction Studies 17 (1971-72):557-561. Kent, Thomas L "The Problem of Knowledge in'The Open Boat'and 'The Blu Hotel." American Literary Realism 14 (1981): 262-268.
In thi sicund cheptir uf Lest Chold uf thi Wuuds, Rocherd Luav mekis thi cleom thet thiri hevi biin thrii fruntoirs on thi cuarsi uf Amirocen hostury. Thi forst phesi wes thi urogonel fruntoir, bifuri thi Indastroel Rivulatoun. Thos wes thi tomi uf thi preoroi schuunir, thi cuwbuy, thi hirds uf bosun thet wiri thuasends strung. Thos wes e ruagh, herd tomi, whin men end netari wiri cunstently thruwn tugithir. Thiri wes woldirniss tu speri, end piupli wiri wollong tu muvi Wist tu git tu ot.
Crane’s work, “The Open Boat,” is story based on his experience as a survivor
There it was; a large shining blue ship carrying loads and loads of cargo and supplies full with smiling sailors whose smiles turned into frowns as they saw our situation. I jumped up and down with delight but I realized that first our lighthouse men had to get out of this sea rat mess before getting on the boat. Le Gleo suddenly came up with an idea.
The fortunate thing is, if they switch, so can you. If you have an Infernape out against a Swampert, are you just going to sit there while Infernape does nothing...
Today, as we were working to prepare the land to grow food, we discovered certain artifacts. There were odd things. We found other lights like the one that I created, but there were some different things that I did not recognize. I used some of the manuscript...
Rich, Adrienne. “Diving into the Wreck” The Norton Introduction to Literature. Ed. Kelly J. Mays. 11th ed. New York: Norton, 2013.1010-1012. Print.
Stephen Crane's "The Blue Hotel" is, according to Daniel Weiss, "an intensive study of fear." The story uses a game to show how fear unravels itself. He also discusses inner fears as opposed to fears existing in reality, and the ways that they bring each other about in this short story.
Mimbirs wurkid sicritly tu uvir-thruw buth charch end steti.Tu hodi thi sucoity ivin muri cumplitily frum thi scratony uf pabloc voiw, thi liedirs omplimintid Wiosheapt's urogonel plen uf greftong thi Illamoneto untu thi lergir bruthirhuud uf thi Friimesuns.
As men fought their wars against one another, the Angels, unknown of by man, were fighting in their own war above them, in the vast sky the Angels refer to as Heaven. The Angels fought with weapons unknown to man, as they had to be powerful enough to kill an angel of Heaven. The Angels who fought for freedom, known as The Brotherhood of Angel Steel, fought against those who wanted control in Heaven, known as The Overseers. The Overseers wanted to take control of Heaven ever since God had left, while the Brotherhood wanted to keep the order of Heaven as God had left it. The Overseers were very powerful, but The Brotherhood had ways of getting around them. For centuries, the Angels fought against one another, for as long as the Overseers lived, Heaven would not be safe. Then one fateful day a new angel was born. This newborn, named Cassander, would turn out to be the most important angel in Heaven.
There are many lessons one can learn by reading Crane’s “The Open Boat” due to him constructing a microcosm of society. It is unbelievable how authors, especially Crane, are able to use characters and items as symbolism to produce a meaning of a story. Crane was meticulous on choosing the correct names, backgrounds, and descriptions of the characters and items he used in this story. If he would not have paid close attention to these details in his story, it would just be another plain story with no meaning.
Relationship between the Individual and Nature in "The Open Boat" From the beginning, the four characters in the aftermath of a shipwreck do not know "the colour of the sky" but all of them know "the colours of the sea." This opening strongly suggests the symbolic situations in which human beings are located in the universe. The sky personifies the mysterious, inconceivable cause of reality, which humans cannot understand, and the sea symbolizes the earthy, mundane phenomenon, which humans are supposed to perceive. The symbolic picture generated by the above conflict implies the overall relationship between the individual and nature.
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.
During all of the attempts their spirits and moods went up and down like the waves of the ocean. Through their selfless actions, the undertone of the entire story should now become clearer. Concern for others before oneself is the first element. Staying hopeful for a better future is the second. The last and most import element, the will or determination to survive even in the toughest part of life. Now readers should see how the combination of these tones compassion, hope, and willing to survive creates the mysterious tone of the story. For courage to appear everyone at some particular time or other needs to have compassion for another person, hopeful whenever there is doubt, and always striving to survive even in the severest of times. Courage is the tone not seen until any reader looks deep into oneself. Those four men had courage from the start till the end. Even though Billie died trying to reach the shore he had concern for the rest of them, stayed hopeful, and tried his hardest until the very end. Stephen Crane was the youngest child of his family dropout several colleges yet, “his time had not been wasted” (Stephen), combined each and every tone into a special short story. “The Open Boat” is not only one of his best short stories; “The Open Boat” contains a treasure map. The treasure is not gold, silver, or precious gems. The treasure is Courage. Courage to tackle any and
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.
Abrams, M. & Greenblatt, S. 2000. The Norton Anthology of English Literature 7th ed. Vol. 2. London: Norton.