The Open Boat

Essay by thesonofmuluhUniversity, Bachelor'sB-, November 2014

download word file, 5 pages 0.0

Tar 1

Man vs.

Ticha Tar

ENGL 202-D03

Prof. Dow

10 November 2014

Outline

Naturalism from Dreiser's "Truth Art Speaks Plainly." "Truth is what is, and the seeing of what is the realization of truth. To express what we see honestly and without subterfuge: this is morality as well as art"

Thesis: In his story, "The Open Boat," Stephen Crane portrays the men as they struggle to endure the harsh weather in what seems like an indifferent universe against them, while they battle their view of god, nature and their survival.

There is an emphasis upon a world in which God is distant or entirely absent.

After rowing the men look for some life saving station, but find none.

The men doubt that there is a god that wants them to succeed.

For them their god is absent, and cares nothing about there efforts.

There is an emphasis on a struggle to survive nature that is almost animalistic towards the men.

The men are in a desperate situation against nature.

Nature/storm continues to harsh regardless of what might happen to them.

This causes the men to think that the storm/nature is actually out for their demise, alienated.

Taunting them at sea, the gull. Nature knows that any effort to swat the bird would sink them.

The men even think of the Universe/Nature as being hostile towards them.

They are constantly striving to stay alive even though their efforts are almost ineffective.

Humans never stop trying to win against nature, even though they never succeed in the end.

There is certain determinism.

They, then, rail against an providential and unreasoning universe.

The men play no part in their outcome in their life.

They see life in a bleak way man was made to die.

Essentially, they never give up...