the open boat

             In The Open Boat, communication between the oiler, captain, cook, and the correspondent and is the reason for their survival. In a situation like theirs, it is important for communication to exist; someone has to be commanding, another must be rowing and the others must be doing either two things, talking to each other or absolutely nothing. Then there is the lack of communication which in some way speaks louder to us and to the characters of the story. The emotions came out more when all was still and no one spoke to each other. Communication between one another is key in this story, but in the times of stillness and no communication is when we get a better feel for the emotion between the characters and the importance of communication.
             The first incident of no communication that comes to mind from The Open Boat is the shark incident. This particular scene shows us that, communication and companionship is important through lack of it. It was the correspondent that was rowing and everyone else seemed to be asleep, we later on learn that the captain was awake through this time as well. The correspondent had no one to speak to and this was the time in which he most needed someone; "So, being bereft of sympathy, he leaned a little way to one side and swore softly into the sea." He mentions that he was in lack of something needed but that the shark did not bother him as it would have someone else. He just mentions that he needed someone to be with at the time, a companion, someone to speak with to make him a little calm through this particular time. This part shows that the role of communication is critical for the correspondent and that without it, he is a little uneasy but then again without it they realize how tightly knot they have become.
             "No one said it was so."... "They were a captain, an oiler, a cook, and a correspondent, and they were friends, friend
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the open boat. (1969, December 31). In MegaEssays.com. Retrieved 21:57, March 28, 2024, from https://www.megaessays.com/viewpaper/18757.html