Stories written based on writer`s experience have always been of great demand. To satisfy the readers with an interesting plot and breathtaking scenes, some people use the literary technique, even if primordial aim of the story was to inform readers about some events. The eagerness to make their life-stories popular clouds their minds and they begin think over fiction events or adventures to diversify the plot. This paper is to analyze the ways used by Stephen Crane in his “The Open Boat” to blend journalistic and literary techniques in the story and in his daily newspaper account.
The tension between fiction and non-fiction writing widely exists and is differently reflected by novelists and journalists, who write for various purposes starting from being popular, famous and ending with the desire to share the life-stories in order to enlighten the path to happiness to the readers. Stephen Crane wrote “The Open Boat” after having experienced the shipwreck of Commodore. Only a few men managed to save, and their struggle to stay alive was difficult enough to break the lust to life. The journalist used many themes and symbols in his story. This way he helped the readers feel the shipwreck and worry about the future of the rescued.
In “The Open Boat” the man presented nature as the patterns of people`s emotions and thoughts. At first the sea hisses, snarls and bucks like a bronco, while nearer to the end of the story it “paced to and fro” (Crane). The changes of the sea symbolize the hope and excitement of being rescued and obedience to fate after spending some time one on one with Mother Nature herself. This manifestation of obedience oppressed all the hopes and willingness to live in souls of those, who survived after the shipwreck. They almost gave up attempts to reach the shore and find any help. They accepted their destinies after some failures to find a safe place.
In fact, the author of the story himself refuted it in “Stephen Crane`s Own Story” explaining the feelings embracing people – there were no changes brought by nature: there were only the amplification of men`s perception of the sea and sky. Nature was disinterested in people`s struggle, it stood calm and relaxed, flowing as it was supposed to do. Animals, birds, sea and air were independent and intact. The behavior of nature did not adjust to people and their problems – it just watched all the happening from above. The reasons of the imaginary changes of the weather were the sharpened feelings – the people`s minds appeared not to be prepared for any emergencies and their characters were not so strong to stop anxiety and consternation of being on the balance of death.
Many writers and journalists-turned-novelists usually exaggerate their experiences by mentioning their emotions and telling about the fears, which came true. They do it in order to draw as much audience`s attention as possible. Not a single writer wants his story to be uninteresting and non-memorable, so they apply all their talent to write a story of high quality and demand. Sometimes the harmony can be reached in both fiction and fact exposition of experience, but it requires great talent and realization of the audience`s needs. For example, the decorations in “The Open Boat” are the changes of nature, and they do not act out the significant roles in the plot development. If Stephen Crane applied too much fiction to his story, it may be more readable, but the message of being aware of some trips will be lost, so the impact it carries will turn to the necessity to entertain the readers.
The appeal to the relationship between the crew and the captain in the story only complicates the whole situation of being involved in forced choice. Considering the fact that everybody wanted to live happily, it was difficult to pick out someone to enlighten their boat, to prolong their lives. Taking into account all of it, the journalist managed to present the characters as those of ideal models of humanity in order to emphasize their significance in his heart.
For example, the captain of the ship sought to save all the people, but was left with a couple of them trying not to die in the open sea. Without doubt, he felt great responsibility for it, as it was justified. Stephen Crane, however, portrayed the captain as a wise man with the steal heart, who was able to sacrifice his life to provide the rescue to others. The author of the story did not try to exaggerate his merit in the face of an extraordinary situation, so he managed to write a dramatic story using only true description of the characters and the place, where he got unforgettable experience. This way, he created the a unique masterpiece, where both artifice for good and truth are combined.
Stuck on the Atlantic Ocean the man, probably, was astonished well to think over the adventure story. Nevertheless, having been rescued he decided to enlighten the whole situation to the audience. The man did the right thing by issuing his experience as a short story but mentioning about its fiction in his newspaper account. He stayed faithful to his ideals and passed over the shipwreck again when remembering the events leading to it. In the article the journalist led the audience to the retrospective to “The Open Boat” using the same language and techniques. In case of the shipwreck to be a fiction story, the newspaper article would be the great prologue to the story, but it would turn into the ordinary essay. The returning to home is the breaking moment to all the victims, so the Crane`s experience deserves to be the unique and unrepeatable story.
The nature`s punishment appeared to be self-punishment, which was not expected by the captain, the correspondent, and Billie - the Oiler. The men tried all the methods to go out of the open sea, but their attempts were vain. The idle perception of nature changing was the spurious chance to be rescued, but the lust for life made many people obey their emotions and feelings. Nevertheless, the men stood strong behind the face of death and were saved. Stephen Crane did not tell the readers about their future, but it seemed to them to be one of the most exciting adventures with tragic and majestic expiration. The journalist`s exhalation of the situation he encountered was the written redemption for the situation.
“Stephen Crane`s Own Story” has been written right after the experience the man encountered. The journalist decided to wait with performing the short story, which was the redemption for his sins. He showed the improved version of the shipwrecking – emotions, people in panic and rash doings, but did not forget to turn to his senses. As a rule, the journalists distort the truth to decorate the story, but Stephen Crane decided to acquaint the readers firstly with the truth, and later present it as the story full of emotions. He made it not just a report to the newspaper about his business trip, but shared the part of his own life.
The critics accepted the paper with enthusiasm, praising the story of its being naturalistic, like Zola`s papers (qtd. in Colvert). Considering the story to be written as realistic as possible, it still may be called a part of an autobiography, but the naturalistic set excites people. Life-stories may hardly be so breathtaking, so there is a great issue in the public`s perception of “The Open Boat”. Nevertheless, it can be viewed as a dramatic adventure story. Stephen Crane tried to pass all his experience to the readers and succeeded in it, so he deserves to be the novelist with huge baggage of knowledge and events he was in during his work as a journalist.
The man wrote fiction and poetry based on the naturalistic perception of man, who is caught suddenly under some unexpected event. He persisted to tell about the conflicts and changes in character after having encountered difficult and dangerous situations. The journalist`s credo was “the nearer a writer gets to life the greater he becomes as an artist” and he justified it by writing stories of universal understanding (qtd. in Colvert). Portraying the reality was a kind of art to him, so he implemented his dream by writing about his redemption. The man took great responsibility for being in contact with every situation he wrote about, and it was compensated with the public`s perception.
This way, one can analyze both “The Open Boat” and “Stephen Crane`s Own Story” as the report of what has happened. Doing it, the mentioning of reality cannot be avoided, as it is the basic of all the stories written by Stephen Crane, who was a journalist and managed to be the novelist by revealing the truth of his life. He took into account the value of experience included in the stories. To satisfy the readers` need he combined fiction and fact in his “The Open Boat”. He used different literary and journalistic techniques to diversify the plot and the development of the story at whole. Stephen Crane is the unique author, as he succeeded in combining many techniques, but left the basic for every of his stories – the truth. He told the audience about his experience during the shipwreck of Commodore mentioning people surrounding him. To make the story interesting, he described their feelings and hopes – implemented their individualities to his story.
Works Cited
Colvert, J.B. “Style and Meaning in Stephen Crane: The Open Boat”. Texas Studies in English, University of Texas Press. Vol. 37 (1958), pp. 34-45. Print.
Crane, S. The Open Boat and Other Tales of Adventure. New York: Doubleday & McClure Co. 1898.
