Humans often tend to see itself as being somehow more important in the grand scheme of the Universe. We speak of "fate" as if we were put here for a reason. We have our religions, which often serve as an engine to drive our lives and to derive meaning from them, but why do we think of ourselves in such an arrogant fashion? Does the Universe really care about us humans? Would the Universe stop if we were suddenly pulled away and disappeared forever, never to be seen again? In the short story, "The Open Boat," Stephen Crane shows us a universe that is totally unconcerned with the affairs of humans; it is an indifferent universe in which mankind has to struggle to survive and be a part of this world. The characters in the story come face to face …show more content…
This story is a model of naturalism because of its pessimistic portrayal of life as the characters are left to surmise to the will of external forces such as the sea; and nature assumes the role of an indifferent force rather than an entity. In one of the finest short stories in the language, Crane relies on tone and imagery to portray the many heartless indifferences of nature. The opening line of the story, “None of them knew the color of the sky,” establishes an immediate overwhelming bleakness to the world, a world that is emotionally void of the value of color (1768). While Crane describes the dismal sea as gray and colorless, the hopeful picture of the unattainable land is painted in green. He also states that the sea snarls, hisses, and bucks like a bronco; later, it merely “paces to and fro,” no longer an actor in the men’s drama. In reality, the sea does not change at all; only the men’s perception of the sea does. The men stranded on the boat are undoubtedly at the mercy of the godlike entity that is indifferent to their survival. Crane does not describe the men as heroic survivors either, but adopts a more distanced tone when describing each character. They work hard to ensure their own, almost random, survival emphasizing that free will is not enough and chance plays a monumental role in one’s life. These attributes are best demonstrated by the oiler's death; his strength alone does not provide him immunity to the obstacles they face or the violence of
The author shows the reader the sea just as the sailor does as death, but more than death
...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.
A household is a precious and sensitive system of a group. Everyone has a role and responsibilities and even if someone took a sliver of more than the rest the balance could be broken. In the short-story “The Boat” written by Alistair MacLeod, the mother controls decisions in the house and abuses them even if they are not for the better of the house. She refuses to accept the daughter’s gifts, she discourages her family towards getting a better education and she married their father and pressured him to be a sailor. Though these decisions are what she feels is right, it does not work out for the rest of the family members. The mother’s stubbornness towards change and education caused the state of desperation in the house-hold.
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 tone of the waves is "thunderous and mighty" and the gulls are looked upon as "uncanny and sinister."(Crane391). Furthermore, the crew fears the upcoming danger of the sea, blaming it as the "play of the free sea."(Crane390). Meanwhile, many beautiful colors such as "emerald", "white", and "amber" decorate the sea, another name of nature.(Crane390). What matters here is that the crew 's attention focuses not on the beauty of nature but on the danger they face. In other words, people are likely to interpret natural phenomenon based on their prejudices, thus distorting the features of nature as
... is also clear that the white heron represents the true beauty of the region, while it is elusive and not able to be seen by even an experienced ornithologist, it is seen by Sylvia. The spotting of the white heron by Sylvia is Jewett’s way of expressing that true beauty of a region is only discoverable by those who are so familiar with the region that they can appreciate every aspect of nature’s beauty and once every foot of ground is known, only then can one appreciate the true beauty of the region and in this case that beauty is represented by the white heron. Jewett’s A White Heron is an excellent example of local color literature because it represents everything local color literature should. It contains characters and dialect specific to the region of Maine (Mrs. Tilley) as well as excellent descriptions of the topography of Maine and the beauty of the region.
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. .
...and an equally indifferent relationship between humans. These styles are blended in the story by Crane’s varied role of Nature and humans throughout the story and the use of symbols and different imagery.
To define one's purpose is at the very least human nature and at the very most the meaning of life. Humans seek the significance of existence and try to define it in many ways. There are thousands of religions and countless seminars to help people discover the point of human existence. The idea that we may all be irrelevant in the grand scheme of life or to the universe is not a popular position. In his short story "The Open Boat" Stephen Crane shows a universe that is unconcerned with the struggles of four men within a small boat lost at sea. Through the characters' experiences Crane shows the human struggle to survive as viewed in a naturalistic perspective as opposed to other prevalent 19th Century concepts.
... point of view, and irony. Crane use these techniques to guide the reader in the course of the struggles, both internally and externally, of mans great endeavor against nature. The tone sets the suspense of the story by building the impending doom upon the crew. The stories point of view allows the reader to gradually understand and expect the indifference of nature upon people’s lives. The reality of nature is expressed through the use of different kinds of irony. The universe is represented by the power of the ocean, and the small boat in this ocean is symbolic of man in this giant universe. The immaculate power of the ocean is very indifferent to the small boat, just as our great universe could not care less for man.
The hardest working member of the crew, he went from operating the boiler room on the sunken ship to rowing on the dingey following the captain’s orders precisely. The oiler simply did what had to be done to get back ashore. However, his death demonstrates how nature has no favorites. Even though he never complained about the cruelty/unfairness of nature, he was still the one to face death. “Afterwards he saw his companions in the sea. The oiler was ahead of the race” (Crane 30). Nature was able to break the false illusion of brotherhood that had formed between the crew (the sharing of the cigars) once the dingey approached the shore and flipped. At that moment, it became every man for themselves and the oiler was on top of his game. This indifference of nature to man specifically toward the oiler since he was most likely the least deserving of punishment of the crew is why Crane’s view of naturalism is illustrated in solely his
When you look up the sky all you see is a blue sky or maybe a moon and stars, but Consolations makes the audience think twice. What if the biggest problems we all have weren’t even a deal in another universe? What if the universe we live in is just one out of all the other universes we leave out? Now look up
“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.
In "The Open Boat," nature shows us that men cannot control their future, and that it controls everything. This is the theme of the poem and nature. Naturalist themes conquer in Stephen Crane's, "The Open Boat." Crane writes his poems with great importance, and for naturalist writers he has to be one of the best. Crane shows us in his works on what naturalism does and how
The Star by H. G. Wells is a story about the near destruction of the human race, but more than that, it is a story about the selfishness of the human race. During this story, people have the chance to see many world changing events that could even effect the very construction of our solar system, but they don’t care. They are too busy living their lives and dealing with daily problems that something like the destruction of a planet is overshadowed by what is for dinner tonight. A great example of this apathetic attitude, is shown soon after the star’s first appearance.