Good Example Of The Open Boat Essay

This is a short story written in 1897 by an American author known as Stephen Crane. The story is based on the experience of Crane on his survival in a shipwreck while travelling to c Cuba for work. He was a newspapers correspondent. They were stranded for thirty hours in the sea when the ship he was in sank.
Crane’s book in a dramatic story of his real life experience, sailing to Cuba and almost sunk with his friend. He was a newspaper corresponded in one of the medias in America. The incident happens when he was on his way to write on issues that led to the 1898 Spanish-American War.
The book opens with a scenario of four men in a shipwreck at the coast of Florida. Crane gives a picture of a frightening and realistic situation. The scene is full of emotions, sensations, and fear of the unknown in the struggle for survival. Because of his philosophical speculation of work, the realist movement of the literary offshoot, the book has been known as the best enduring classic that brings out the timeless experience closeness to death through suffering.
The book “The Open Boat” is subdivided into seven sections. Each section talks of the main point of view that is based on the life of Crane. He first introduces the four characters in the introduction. The characters are the captain who is portrayed as injured, but by losing his ship yet, He shows leadership. Fat and comical cook who is optimistic of the reality of their rescue. Billie the oiler depicted as stronger physically and referred by name in the whole story together with Crane as the correspondent.
The moods of the men keep on changing from anger due to desperation to empathy towards each other. They then realize that there is a difference between nature and their fate. This takes place in the next four sections. The last sections depict the resolutions of the men to leave the mental struggle that they had for thirty hours and take an action by swimming to the shore. After the struggle to swim to the shore where they meet a group of rescuers, they find Billie’s body washed up on the beach. Billie was dead.
There are several themes in the story. The writer portrays sympathy through some acts of the characters. Billie shows a tangible role of a savior by being steady and simple in labor. Oiler is seen as a simple and working seaman who portrays his sympathy with sailors’ ideals democratically. The story also shows survival and solidarity. The characters’ human solidarity finds comfort in sorrows. This helps them make a decision and hope for swimming which in the end helps save their lives.
The main theme that flows down the book is naturalism. Naturalism is a manner or technique of treating subject matters that present, through volume of details, a deterministic view of human life and action. Super natural is the state or act of being above or beyond what is viewed as natural. The most apparent focus in the work is the struggle between the natural world and man. The character’ view of nature as a force against them in the first place is transformed to understanding it as ambivalent.
The idea of fate as being in existence for some reason or purpose, religions which serve as an machine that drives lives or a means to meaningful contribution in life are both a contributions to our thinking of self as fashion or matter. In the book, “The Open Boat” Crane proves of a universe that is totally unconcerned with mankind’s affairs. This universe requires man to struggle to survive. The characters experience the conflict with the unconcerned nature. They make it only through cooperation and persistence.
The writer tries to achieve verisimilitude by creating a major shift from fiction to reality. Fiction requires background information that is accurate and the use of details that are realistic. Naturalism is the reaction to imagination flight that is characterized by realism writing. Naturalism wants to depict life as favorable and as it really is. Naturalism becomes concerned with the psychological and social problems. The characteristics of naturalism are realistic or natural details, imageries of natural happenings, good historical background, psychological and social problem concerns, and focus on disharmony in the world.
Towards the end of the story, the men decide to swim to the shore in order to save their lives. Among them is Billie who was seen as the strongest yet in their struggle to save themselves, he does not make it. This is uncommon and unexpected which relates to a super natural act, a presentation of extreme form of naturalism. This is complete overhaul against reality expectations. Super natural expresses the impossibilities of from the thought that phenomena should be presented as in the custom but as a natural cause and the principles of science are effective.
Fiction must not become more of objective report. The theories of biology influences naturalism. The controlling power in human beings is the instinct, passion, economic and social environment. This means human lacks the will to be free. The characteristics of supernaturalism are stories that reflect environment, heredity and chance and resulting to fate. The act of brutal naturalism, judgment that is moral and characters of nature victims or victims of the society are also characters of super natural acts. The super natural acts are often characterized as a goal of social reform.
The metaphysical account is used to bring out the conflicts that result from man’s isolation in a story. The characters are unable to use the higher cause for their own protection. The lack of religious support becomes the lamenting point for the correspondent. The correspondent is not able the misfortunes on God. He states ”when it occurs to a man that nature does not regard him as important and that she feels she would not maim the universe by disposing of him, he at first wishes to throw bricks at the temple, and hates deeply that there is no bricks in the temples”. Constant questions are laid on man and the world around him. The way things appeared or seemed was the concern of the correspondent neglecting the actual position that the things entirely were ambiguous. This depicts mankind as somehow special to some wondrous secrets hidden from the rest of the universe.
There may be some apparent similarities between the sailing experience on a desolate sea and the sighting of land relief in “The Open Boat” and Howell’s “Hope” poem; it is probable the Howell’s poem could have an influence on Crane’s story. “The Open Boat” story is based on a talent planned to be taught after some facts and is based on real experience. The four men in the story are survivors of a sinking filibuster ship. The infusion of religion in the story brings some parallelism as Howell’s poem focuses on this theme. The story is an experience indelibly fixed in one’s mind. It helps to relate between the natural and supernatural giving a resolution on matters that are related to the supernatural.
Crane’s point in using metaphysical is to bring a clear understanding in the difference between the ideology of fictions and the reality of fates. The historical thought in mankind that reflects every act in the environment as a result of some negative plans to interfere with the conducive to environment is just but an insinuation. The writer tries to reach the audience in a way that is relevant to them via the real life situation so as to bring out the teachings. The use of testimony has great impact to the audience hence its use helps is connecting easily with them and create room for understanding the message.
The story in the book “The Open Boat” arose from the experience “The Commodore.” Crane was during the journey on this steamship. The act of alternating between the moments of harrowing waves that were crashing over the scene and the goodwill unity that was developing forms one of the best literary works and a wonderful example of good naturalism literature. A literature work that has stands the waves of times. This shows the impact that the story has to the whole life of the Americans and the world at large.
Crane’s “The Open Boat” gives a glimpse of reality that may seem bitter at first but gradually actuates a catharsis and ends in a message to human spirit. The contention that the environment or universe cannot bend to man’s will is not exceeded by the weight of reassurances that togetherness works out. The importance of unity is that can bring success even in the disastrous situations. We can always turn to each other and get consolation and advices that can make us get through any situation.