The Epic Battle Of Man Against Nature In The Open Boat By Stephen Crane

724 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: Analysis on the open boat

“The Open Boat” by Stephen Crane There are many inspiring literary works from the short stories, plays and poems but there is one in particular that will have a lasting and profound effect on my perspective concerning the strength and determination of mankind, “The Open Boat” by Stephen Crane. Crane presents the epic battle of man against nature with such vivid imagery that it ignites the imagination. It is an attribute of mankind to seek supremacy against each other, fate and nature itself, as can be seen in this short story. The battle Crane describes begins as the survivors of a shipwreck, a group of four men, doggedly attempt to row a small lifeboat to shore amidst the turbulent waves and currents of a tempestuous ocean. “The Open Boat”, …show more content…

This conflict, although very real, is more about man’s ability to persevere and realize that nature simply exists with no evil intent, that in the scheme of the universe, man’s significance should not be based upon supposed supremacy. The intensity of the conflict with nature is shown with each stroke of the oars, each crash of the waves, and each bucket of water that is thrown overboard as the life boat takes on water. It is in the brutal reality of this setting that Crane acknowledges the setting as the antagonist within this tale. Nature bombards the lifeboat with a constant assault; the men are driven by the need to persevere in order to stay alive. As a result, there are moments in which a sense of fatalism can be seen as the Captain remarks, “If we don’t all get ashore – if we don’t all get ashore, I suppose you fellows know where to send news of my finish?” (344). These are crucial moments depicting that no matter the dedication and will to survive this ordeal, the lives of the men are still dependent upon the aspect of Nature being accommodating. It becomes an inner conflict against fatalism and the external conflict against nature. Crane’s representation of man’s epic battle against nature, is beyond the simple need to determine mankind’s place in the order of the universe, it is a tale denoting man’s ability to persevere in the

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of The Boat By Alistair Macleod

    1206 Words  | 3 Pages

    Alistair Macleod’s “The Boat” is a tale of sacrifice, and of silent struggle. A parent’s sacrifice not only of their hopes and dreams, but of their life. The struggle of a marriage which sees two polar opposites raising a family during an era of reimagining. A husband embodying change and hope, while making great sacrifice; a wife gripped in fear of the unknown and battling with the idea of losing everything she has ever had. The passage cited above strongly presents these themes through its content

    Read More

  • Themes in The Boat by Alistair MacLeod

    1028 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...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.

    Read More

  • Alger and Crane: Mythic Vs. Realist

    889 Words  | 2 Pages

    To close, it is represented in my essay that Crane is clearly out to give the "realistic" perspective on a society plagued with many problems, whereas Alger gives representation to the "mythic" aspect of life which is commonly phrased as "dreams come true."

    Read More

  • Stephen Crane's The Open Boat and Jack London's To Build A Fire

    2312 Words  | 5 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Open Boat Essay

    1180 Words  | 3 Pages

    Crane was forced to contend with nature after his ship, the SS Commodore, sank into the ocean (Crane 18). He was constantly forced to act under the threat of death by drowning. If he didn’t step into nature to escape the sinking ship, he would drown. The same goes if his team didn’t row fast enough in their lifeboat. Crane’s goal was to leave nature’s cruel threats and return to civilization as fast as possible.

    Read More

  • Imagery And Symbolism In The Open Boat By Stephen Crane

    886 Words  | 2 Pages

    In the short story “ The Open Boat,” by Stephen Crane, Crane does an outstanding job creating descriptive images throughout the entire story. With saying this, Crane uses symbolism along with strong imagery to provide the reader with a fun and exciting story about four guys who 's fight was against nature and themselves. Starting early in the book, Crane creates a story line that has four men in a great amount of trouble in the open waters of the ocean. Going into great detail about natures fierce and powerful body of water, Crane makes it obvious that nature has no empathy for the human race. In this story, Crane shows the continuous fight that the four men have to endure in able to beat natures strongest body of water. It 's not just nature the men have to worry about though, its the ability to work together in order to win this fight against nature. Ultimately, Crane is able to use this story, along with its vast imagery and symbolism to compare the struggle between the human race and all of natures uncertainties.

    Read More

  • The Open Boat Essay

    1578 Words  | 4 Pages

    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. .

    Read More

  • Symbolism and Devices in Stephen Crane's The Open Boat

    1931 Words  | 4 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • The Open Boat: Crane's View of Naturalism

    1085 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... out that nature, although it does impact the men's lives, does not have any connection to the outcome. With his short story, Crane challenges the idea that men and nature are connected spiritually. He even challenges the idea of religion by leaving the outcome of the men simply to the experience that they have. The boat, an oar, and some directions from their captain save the men from death, not a divine guide. One man simply does not make it to the shore alive. The view of man and nature within this story is somewhat pessimistic, pointing to the philosophy that we are hopeless in the face of circumstance. The point Crane makes in the end is that although people are often victims of circumstance, humans have one another to help survive difficult experiences.

    Read More

  • The Open Boat by Stephen Crane

    1317 Words  | 3 Pages

    ... 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.

    Read More

  • Compare And Contrast The Open Boat And A Good Man Is Hard To Find

    944 Words  | 2 Pages

    The irony in Crane’s story “The Open Boat” is that, in describing the situation of the correspondent, who has come to understand his small role or position in relation to nature through manmade objects like the life-boat, Crane continues to give human qualities to inhuman things. For example, the narrator calls nature a “she”. For both Crane and correspondent, nature is an old, unstoppable force whose workings are always beyond their grasp. Crane bases his beliefs of nature off of his own prior

    Read More

  • Stephen Crane's The Open Boat

    1108 Words  | 3 Pages

    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.

    Read More

  • Relationship between the Individual and Nature in The Open Boat

    553 Words  | 2 Pages

    The human voyage into life is basically feeble, vulnerable, uncontrollable.  Since the crew on a dangerous sea without hope are depicted as "the babes of the sea", it can be inferred that we are likely to be ignorant strangers in the universe.  In addition to the danger we face, we have to also overcome the new challenges of the waves in the daily life.  These waves are "most wrongfully and barbarously abrupt and tall", requiring "a new leap, and a leap."  Therefore, the incessant troubles arising from human conditions often bring about unpredictable crises as "shipwrecks are apropos of nothing."  The tiny "open boat", which characters desperately cling to, signifies the weak, helpless, and vulnerable conditions of human life since it is deprived of other protection due to the shipwreck.  The "open boat" also accentuates the "open suggestion of hopelessness" amid the wild waves of life.  The crew of the boat perceive their precarious fate as "preposterous" and "absurd" so much so that they can feel the "tragic" aspect and "coldness of the water."   At this point, the question of why they are forced to be "dragged away" and to "nibble the sacred cheese of life" raises a meaningful issue over life itself.  This pessimistic view of life reflects the helpless human condition as well as the limitation of human life.

    Read More

  • The Convergence Of The Twain Personification

    296 Words  | 1 Pages

    “The Convergence of the Twain” by Thomas Hardy explains the beauty of the ship along this event with more of a calm to what it really should’ve been. Hardy’s attitude toward the sinking of the ship was more elegant. After reading “The Convergence of the Twain”, the speaker's attitude is more focused on fate because of the use of personification towards the ship, the use of key words, and imagery.

    Read More

  • Stephen Crane's The Open Boat

    753 Words  | 2 Pages

    From the beginning to the end of the "The Open Boat", the nature and sensitivity of the writing is one that is gloomy or a bit melancholy at times and the characters never seem to be free of danger. The four men are always struggling against something weather if it is battling the waves, sharks, their muscles (not strong enough), and their own mind at times, This nature in Stephen Crane's writing is what makes "The Open Boat", very naturalistic because it provides to a sense of cut-throat life and little

    Read More

More about The Epic Battle Of Man Against Nature In The Open Boat By Stephen Crane

Open Document