Literary Analysis: The Open Boat

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Along with reading “The Open Boat” by itself, using other sources like poems and literary analysis is a productive way to find a deeper meaning behind the story. Two poems by Stephen Crane and an analysis by Gregory A. Schrimer provide an insight to the central theme that the universe does not care about one single person. To begin, the poem, A Man Said to the Universe shows how the universe is not responsible to humans. “A man said to the universe: ‘Sir, I exist!’ “However,’ replied the universe, ‘The fact has not created in me a sense of obligation.” This poem shows that the universe in this case tells the man that he has no obligation to him so he does not feel the need to protect him in face of danger. The same poem provides another

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