A Leaf in the wind

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Andrade 5

Erik Andrade

Professor Pages

English 111

15 September 2014

A Leaf in the Wind

Often nature asserts its power and reminds mankind that it ultimately decides the course of time. We have seen this from the likes of major natural disasters like a hurricane, to lesser events like the blowing of a cap into the wind. In the story "The Open Boat" by Stephen Crane, four men are harshly made aware by the environment that there are some things they cannot endure without the strength of each other. When these men face the unforgiving aptitude of the elements they realize how little the universe and its functions notice their existence. Conclusively their lives are in the hands of the arbitrary actions of nature. The survival or death of these men is determined not only by the impartial workings of the universe but also by sustained strength of their brotherhood.

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An oiler, a cook, a captain, and a correspondent brave the difficult sea in a boat no larger than a bathtub. The emotions of the men rise and fall similar to the likes of the waves they continuously overcome. At earlier times the groups hope was spread thin with the absence of a trusting relationship between them, "In disjointed sentences the cook and the correspondent argued as to the difference between a life-saving station and a house of refuge" (Crane, 203). The men understood the dire situation they were in and had trouble expressing optimism. A depiction of the hope they held deeper inside is shown when the crew is made aware of a lighthouse and their confidence rises, " 'Bail her, cook,' said the captain, serenely. 'All right, Captain,' said the cheerful cook" (205). For the first time the...