Openboat Commentary
Stephen Crane's "An Open Boat", successfully attempts to explain one of the most prominent questions, which has faced the mankind since its beginning: Why do events occur, and can we, as human beings, do in facing them? In this story, men are trapped on a boat in the middle of an ocean, and the story shows how they struggle to survive, fighting the nature's power. Stephen Crane, as a naturalist writer, proposes that occurrences in life are due to nature's indifference to our fate, and the only way to overcome our would-be doom is to exercise free will and our own survival instincts. The setting and imagery of "The Open Boat" is key to the development of Crane's theory. Trapped in a small boat adrift off a coast in hostile weather, the characters find themselves battling the forces of nature. The sea, symbolizing life, consistently confronts the crew with challenges, and as in life, "The roar of the surf was plain, and sometimes they could see the white lip of wave as it spun up the beach."(5) Moreover, the men are trapped in a small boat, no larger than a bathtub, which inevitably collapses under the stresses of the sea, symbolizing the need for the man
"(6) Color black, usually referred as negative, foreshadows the future events and experience through which the sailors will have to go through. The men see the lighthouse to be "slim" and "gray", which again foreshadows their tiny, slim and tiny of them escaping the situation they are in. To setup the imagery of isolation of the island, the author uses description "a tiny house was blocked out black upon the sky. Consequently men are firm and strong on land, as oppose to being weak and feeble on water. By utilizing symbolism, metaphor, imagery and other literally tools, Stephen Crane has shown that man is able to overcome a dreadful predestination if he harnesses the full might of his will. The also author uses many symbols in order to prove his theory. "The Open Boat" presents a truly fascinating perspective on the conflict of free will and fate, from a naturalist point of view. Not only is it in symbolism that the men insult Fate, as their thoughts directly convey their rebellious attitude toward this "ninny-woman. Their sarcastic insults toward the house represent their denial of fate, and their intention to fight it, utilizing their free will. Furthermore the characters show their lack of hope when they nervously reiterate thoughts such as "If I am going to be drowned"(31,31,32). "(6) The reader gets the picture of water being "thunderous and mighty"(10) in contrast to land being just "dunes topped with dark vegetation"(4) In other words, the land seems lifeless, dead and feeble in contrast to the water, which is full of life and powerful. The characters of the story are basically a group of men stuck in the middle of nowhere. "(35) Crane, in his third-person omniscient perspective, writes, "She dare not drown me. The men are angry at the life-savers and the inhabitants on the beach and state that its "Funny they don't see"(3,9,17) them, even though it doesn't seem funny to them, and they are just irritated that they are left on their own.
Common topics in this essay:
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Acceptance Essays
