In Stephen Crane's The Open Boat, Crane uses a personal experience that happened to him to pattern this short story after. Crane's writing style consists of a very prominent use of naturalism. Naturalism is simply the struggle between nature and man, with nature being the most powerful force. In The Open Boat, Crane writes about a sinking boat, therefore placing his characters at nature's mercy. The story line for The Open Boat is based on a true experience Crane had while smuggling guns to Cuba, where he found himself in a dinghy with three other men. Crane uses naturalism to personify nature and to reveal his personal feelings of overwhelming insignificance in the face of nature, and effectively uses color to symbolize their journey.
             One characteristic of naturalism is the use of personification of nature. Crane humanizes nature many times throughout his story. One example of this is description of the horizon in the opening paragraph (page 859). Crane describes the horizon as almost a living breathing being by stating that it narrowed and widened, dipping and rising. This view of the horizon can be seen as a threat to the passengers. The four men envision the horizon as human-like because it has become their enemy. Later Crane describes the waves as snarling (page 859), giving the waves an animalistic persona. The characters probably felt as if the waves were going to attack and devour them. Another example of
             Crane's literary use of naturalism by personifying nature occurs when the men spot a group of people on the shore and Crane writes that the shore swallows the potential rescuers (page 867). Crane here is showing the power of nature, by its ability to take away the hopes of a rescue. The people on shore were the men's only hope, and when the night swallowed them, despaired loomed.
             Another quality of naturalism is the use of colors as symbolism. Crane used colors from the
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