American Literature

The Open Boat was written by Stephen Crane and published in 1897. It was said to have been written based on the authors experience himself of having survived a shipwreck. The Open Boat is a seven-part story about four men who survived a shipwreck and were stranded in the sea on board a dingey. Ultimately, the experience has taught the four men that learning how to trust each other is the key to surviving the inescapable force of nature that almost crushed their collective human will to survive. Literary Naturalism is one recurring theme in The Open Boat with instances of pessimism, determinism and detachment all throughout the short story.

NATURALISM IN THE OPEN BOAT
Pessimism. Pessimism exists in the story in the words of the captain himself. He started out in Section I with a voice deep with mourning (The Open Boat). In section IV, amidst the tide, winds and waves, he also mentions, If we dont all get ashore, I suppose you fellows know where to send news of my finish (The Open Boat). This are truly discouraging words to hear, not to mention the fact that it is the captain himself  the supposed leader of the voyage and giver of inspiration  who is saying these. There is another instance of the captain expressing his pessimism in Section VI after the boat is tossed by the waves and all four of them get wet. It is more of resignation on the part of the captain when he gives some whisky-and-water to the correspondent while saying, If I ever get ashore and anybody shows me even a photograph of an oar (The Open Boat). Though this is more optimistic, there is still a hint of despair in the captains words and in his having to make a conditional sentence. We also recall, in Section II, the captains words telling everyone that they will get ashore safely may have sounded reassuring but there was that in his tone made the others think that it would only be possible if this wind holds and if we dont catch hell in the surf (The Open Boat).

Another instance of pessimism in the story is found in Section IV when the characters see some people waving at them from a distant shore and to the inaction of the latter they say, Maybe they think were out here for sport Maybe they think were fishin. Maybe they think were damn fools. These words clearly show not only pessimism about their situation but a somewhat loss of hope in the human ability to comprehend the need for help.

Determinism. Determinism in The Open Boat centers around the idea that the will of the four characters to escape such a harrowing situation is no match for the powerful blows delivers upon them. Although their efforts and unity pay off in the end, they have spent the whole time struggling to reconcile their personal beliefs with the indifference of tide, wind and water.

Determinism is shown in one line that is repeated a number of times in the entire story If I am going to be drownedwhywas I allowed to come thus far and contemplate sand and trees...if this old ninny-woman, Fate, cannot do better than this, she should be deprived of the management of mens fortunes. This is the sum total of all four mens fears as the story progresses. The fear that confronts them is not only a physical one but an existential fear that makes them realize that somehow nature does not at all care about what they believe about her, and perhaps the worst thing man will ever realize in this life and in his efforts for survival is that the universe would never give a pause if he were suddenly plucked away.

In Section VI, the correspondent also realizes this indifference nature has towards man. He first argues that it was certainly abominable injustice to drown a man who had worked so hard but later on surmises that nature does not regard him important and that man at first wishes to throw bricks at the temple only to find that there are no bricks and no temples (The Open Boat).  The correspondent has clearly learned that nature does not possess such human sense of justice upon which he has put all his faith on through the years. The realization was, for the correspondent, a horrible truth but, on the other hand, it was a realization of his free will.

Detachment from the Story. The objectivity in Stephen Cranes tone is felt in the story in his decision to use nameless characters  the oiler, the cook, the captain, and the correspondent  although the oilers name happens to be known as Billie when the cook asks him in Section IV what kind of pie he likes. Nevertheless such nameless characters shown with confusing roles, such as the captain acting cowardly, signify one thing that nature does not care at all about human hierarchy  she destroys the strong and the weak alike. Crane has shown us in the nameless characters that our names do not matter at all to nature and that, captain or correspondent, nature treats us alike.

However, it should be noted that unity, which is another theme in The Open Boat, is shown by the fact that the four nameless characters are all equal in nature and equal in their friendships, and that they are never supposed to leave each other in the name of friendship and equality.

Stephen Cranes The Open Boat is one short story that tells the readers two very important things  the indifference of nature and the strength of man. Nature does not regard anyone special and will go on its way no matter how seemingly destructive or lethal its consequences will be to man. On the other hand, man always has the choice whether to remain deluded into thinking that nature favors him or to realize that, during tough times, he has no one else to rely on but himself and his comrades.