Short Story Essay "The Open Boat" Four men drift across a January sea in an open
boat, since they lost their ship some time after dawn. Now, in the clear light of day,
the men begin to grasp the full gravity of their situation. Realizing that their main
conflict will be man versus nature, in this case, the raging sea. In the short story "The
Open Boat," Stephen Crane gives an itemized description of the two days spent on a
ten-foot dinghy by four men a cook, a correspondent, which is Crane himself, the
injured Captain and Billy Higgens, the oiler. The men in the open boat show us that
compassion for one's comrade, unfeeling endurance, and courage are the true moral
standards in a neutral universe. Characterization creates the setting in this story. It is
said in the book that the protagonist's personality sets the action or the setting in a
story. The four men in this story make up the entire cast; there is no one protagonist.
An all-knowing narrator writes this story, which is Crane. This story also enforces
that this is a collective experience. The emotional support and the knowledge of the
sea come from the injured captain. The strength and endurance comes from the
correspondent and the oiler, which keeps them all, headed in the right direction. The
cook is an example of the three that are ignorant about the raging sea.
Characterization is a prime example of setting of this story since the characters make
up the majority of the setting. The setting in "The Open Boat" creates the story. "A
seat in this boat was not unlike a seat upon a bucking bronco, and by the same token a
bronco is not much smaller. The craft pranced and reared and plunged like an
animal." These few lines help the reader to imagine the ride of the men's lives. The
slate color of the water explains the downcast mood...