Naturalism in the Open Boat

Naturalism in “The Open Boat”

Humanity often tends to see itself as being somehow important in the grand scheme of the Universe. But why do we think of ourselves in such a lofty fashion? Do we really matter at all? Would the Universe give pause if we were suddenly plucked away? In his short story, “The Open Boat,” Stephen Crane shows us a universe totally unconcerned with the affairs of humankind; it is an indifferent universe in which man has to struggle to survive. The characters in the story come face to face with this indifference and are nearly overcome by Nature’s lack of concern. They survive only through persistence and cooperation. All we have, Crane asserts, in our constant struggle for survival, is stubborn pride, and each other.

The story opens with four men, known simply as the captain, the oiler, the correspondent, and the cook, stranded in the ocean in a small boat. Crane’s descriptions in these opening scenes show right away the antagonism of the men and the sea and nature’s lack of concern for their tragedy: “The birds sat comfortably in groups, and they were envied by some in the dingey, for the wrath of the sea was no more to them than it was to a covey of prairie chickens a thousand miles inland.” The men are in a desperate situation, but nature continues in its ways regardless of what might happen to them. They are even regarded by a shark, who apparently finds no use for them. The men, however, seem removed from the clockwork of their surroundings; seperate, but somehow in the midst of everything happening around them. This indifference causes the men to feel a certain alienation from nature. They even go as far as to think of the universe as being hostile: “The waves were nervously anxious to do something effective in the way of swamping boats.” This is, however, just normal activity of nature, not any act of aggression against man.

Although the men are pitted against an uncaring sea, they still at this point seem to think their destinies are controlled by some outside force. Their collective thoughts are given thus: “If I am going to be drowned, if I am going to be drowned, if I am going to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea, was 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 men's fortunes.” It soon dawns on them, though, that there is no “fate,” no purpose for their being where they are. It is the realization of this fact that brings the men to the brink of despair. It seems to them that their situation is hopeless. At one point, one of the men asks the captain if he thinks they will make it, to which the captain replies “If this wind holds and the boat don't swamp, we can’t do much else.” Statements like these, along with Crane’s