ipl-logo

Stephen Crane's The Open Boat

1206 Words5 Pages

The Open Boat,” is a short fictional story written by Stephen Crane based off true events that occurred the author himself. This story is written in a perspective of a story teller describing all the details to bring the reader into the actual life experience. Crane wrote in a naturalism tone with imagery, irony, symbolism themes as hope, survival, determination, and the with theme of man versus nature. The main theme being nature’s indifference to man and man’s insignificance in the universe. Crane writes about four fictional characters that are shipwrecked and that are stranded in the open ocean. After rowing for days, they finally win the battle for survival, however only three of the characters make it, and one of the character meets a watery grave just mere moments of surviving the horrid …show more content…

His hard work gives the reader the hope that his character will survive and be saved, however his death is an example of the unruliness and unfairness of nature. Crane uses vivid detail and can bring his story to life with the use of symbolism, and he takes the reader into the actual experience in real life terms. The author brings the crashing waves to life by comparing them and giving them animal characteristics. By using adjectives like wild, untamed, and powerful, he gives a much more detailed visual experience for the readers. “A seat in this boat was not unlike a seat upon a bucking Broncho, and by the same token a Broncho is not much smaller. The craft pranced and reared, and plunged like an animal. As each wave came, and she rose for it” (I). Crane also uses the repetition of “drowned” lines to show the men’s internal conflict with life and death, how they struggle both physically and mentally through the ordeal, and how they start with determination of survival and how that determination

Show More
Related

Summary Of Alistair Mcleod's The Boat

172 Words | 1 Pages

The text creator suggests that one 's obligations can restrain the pursue of one 's dreams. In Alistair McLeod 's “ The Boat,” McLeod shows the fathers struggle to fulfill his dreams of attending university because of his selfless inclinations. This portrays the father 's boat, which symbolizes the imprisonment he feels because of his duty as a provider. Whenever the father would come home from work, he would put all of his “earnings” on the kitchen table, a demonstration of his constant sacrifices. His job as a fisherman is a necessity for his family as it is their main source of income.

Read More

Analysis Of The Boat By Alistair Macleod

628 Words | 3 Pages

Utilization of the mother’s “maiden name” for the boat is signifying the continuation of legacy and tradition. Macleod’s portrayal of the name being “stenciled in black” (224) while the entire boat is light green is contrasting in the sense that black connotes negativity and light green is symbolistic of life. The boat is representative of the father and within the father’ life, the mother has limited the father into obligations and not advancement. Unchanging view of the mother: “She despised disorder in rooms and in houses and in hours and in lives”. Macleod’s referral to “in hours” signifies that over time the mother prefers upholding of traditions and approves merely duties and nothing beyond the routine.

Read More

Pressure In The Boat By Alistair Macleod

412 Words | 2 Pages

Pressure is experienced by many kids, and their parents are a primary source of it. The narrator in The Boat by Alistair MacLeod faces a tremendous amount of pressure from his parents. My parents also put a lot of pressure on me because they want me to be successful in their own way, and I do not find it helpful. To start, this pressure could lead to stress, which could then lead to long term problems such as anxiety and depression. Ever since I was young, my parents have wanted me to pursue a career in medicine.

Read More

Theme Of The Open Boat

312 Words | 2 Pages

“The Open Boat” is a story of four men who are abandoned on a small boat in the middle of the ocean. Throughout the story it shows their struggle to come to terms with their situation; and not only does it show their physical strifes, but it also shows their mental battles to help them survive. The men eventually lose hope of being rescued. However, in the end, the men are eventually met by people carrying rescue gear on the shore. Most of the men survived; the boiler, however, wasn’t so lucky.

Read More

3.05 Poe Describes The Sensations Of Being Buried Alive Essay

761 Words | 4 Pages

What did the narrator do in light of his experience on the sailboat? Do you think his reaction is a typical one of someone facing their

Read More

Why Did The Four Men Survive In The Open Boat

548 Words | 3 Pages

What does it take to survive? In “The Open Boat” by Stephen Crane, there are only four men- an oiler, a captain, a cook, and a correspondent. They find themselves on a sunken ship off the coast of Florida trying to fight for their lives. The four men who get in the life boat after their ship sinks have to work together to survive.

Read More

Comparing Naturalism In The Open Boat And Cast Away

518 Words | 3 Pages

The Open Boat had a gloomy theme, as it showed the struggle of survival against nature.. Four men were shipwrecked and stranded at sea on a small dingey. At sea for several days, the men attempted to row back to shore. The injured captain and the oiler, Billie, navigated and rowed, respectively. They believed that they saw a lighthouse, and people.

Read More

Summary And Symbolism Exposed In Stephen Crane's The Open Boat

769 Words | 4 Pages

The Open Boat This story makes clear one more times the idea that nature is ultimately indifferent to the human condition, possessing no consciousness that we can understand. The reality of nature’s lack of concern for human beings is becoming increasingly clear in The Open Boat, by Stephen Crane. The oiler’s death and lack of explanation surrounding it reinforce the randomness of nature’s tricks and symbolize the indifference of nature toward man.

Read More

Symbolism In Stephen Crane's The Open Boat

807 Words | 4 Pages

Vorrapon Jirakasemnukul Dr. McNeely EN 206 American Literature (1865-Present) 3 March 2018 The Death of the Oiler: A Symbol in Stephen Crane’s “The Open Boat” The death of the oiler at the end of Stephen Crane’s “The Open Boat” reinforces nature’s unpredictability and symbolizes the indifference of nature towards man. The oiler is portrayed as the fittest and most likely to survive than the rest of the crew aboard the dinghy. The work on the little dinghy is divided among the four men.

Read More

Stephen Crane's The Open Boat

994 Words | 4 Pages

Stephen Crane’s “The Open Boat” and how individual struggles do not matter when fighting nature. “The Open Boat” is a short story written by the American author Stephen Crane first published in 1897. The story is based on Crane’s own experience of surviving a shipwreck while working as a correspondent, its main themes are: nature and men’s role in nature, feeling insignificant, death and hope and friendship. The story follows four characters who suffer a shipwreck together and try to make it to the shore in order to survive.

Read More

Selfless Society Exposed In Stephen Crane's The Open Boat

694 Words | 3 Pages

Victoria Roth once quoted that “There is power in self-sacrifice.” That if people put aside their differences and work together, they can make the impossible possible. Unfortunately, achieving a true selfless nature is not an easy task as there are countless social norms that must be defied. However, throughout the years it has been proven that when faced with disaster, people abandon their selfish ways and altruistically cooperate. An excellent example of this would be the Kyoto Protocol, the first agreement between nations to commit to country-by-country reductions in greenhouse-gas emissions in order to combat global warming.

Read More

Comparing The Open Boat And Maggie: A Girl Of The Streets

627 Words | 3 Pages

Stephen Crane writes about two different situations in his stories. Generally speaking, in “The Open Boat” published in 1897, Crane

Read More

Survival And Comradery In The Open Boat

667 Words | 3 Pages

The short story “The Open Boat” is a classic story of survival and comradery in the face of the unstoppable forces of nature. The setting of the struggle in the raging sea worked in unison with some of the dialogue of the characters to establish a theme. The most central theme to the story was that all human beings are ultimately the same in that we are all equally powerless against nature. The story starts out by presenting the setting as an endless number of towering waves all around.

Read More

Stephen Crane's The Open Boat

515 Words | 3 Pages

What we must pay attention to is that three of four came ashore safely. Human actions, although efficacious, are limited; reality and true status quo have considerable resilience and potency” (Dooley 76-77). Even though the oiler does his best most among four men such as oaring when others take rest, he dies at the end of story. No matter how people put their effort into their lives, Crane shows they are nothing before the Nature. Through the event that the ship sank off, Crane could see how weak human beings are because he had nothing to do though he was an educated person and a thinker.

Read More

Stephen Crane's The Open Boat

253 Words | 2 Pages

Stephen Crane was one of America’s most influential writers. Many wonder whether Stephen Crane was a naturalist or realist. Naturalism was a movement in American literature. Naturalism emphasized determinism and man’s fate that is beyond his free will; whereas realism was sought to be a faithful representation of life and nature, not nature itself as a force. Crane portrays his naturalist writing style through external forces and pessimistic tone.

Read More

More about Stephen Crane's The Open Boat

Related Topics

Open Document