A Classic Way of Depicting Human Struggle - Research Paper Example

A ic Way of Depicting Human Struggle There are many literary works that depict the struggle for life in the middle of the ocean. Each of them provides the author’s view of human sentiments, motives, and actions. However, most works, especially films, tend to overemphasize emotions or digress from the main theme, thus lose the very essence of the story, that is, to depict the human struggle that is not common to everyone because of the setting. In the short story, The Open Boat, Stephen Crane provides a realistic and unembellished way of depicting human struggle in the middle of the ocean through focused characterization, plot and theme. The classic story illustrates how a work of fiction could chronicle human struggle with some emotional detachment to fully emphasize the experience. The Open Boat is based on the real-life experience of Stephen Crane as he worked as a correspondent during the war in Cuba. The story is one of the most critically acclaimed stories of Stephen Crane. H.G. Wells (Weatherford 271) once noted that The Open Boat was “beyond all question, the crown of all [Crane's] work.” Basically, the elements of the story and the style of the author make the piece stand out from other works that depict the human struggle for survival such as the 2006 film, Poseidon. With unembellished characterization, plot and theme, The Open Boat chronicles exactly how people manage to survive in the middle of a deadly ocean. First of all, Crane uses an uncommon style of characterization. Unlike other stories that usually reveal the characters with their qualities and background information, Crane simply mentions who are in the boat, namely, the cook, the oiler, the correspondent, and the captain. The introduction determines the role of each man in the story, what they are doing in the boat, and how they feel at the moment. There is nothing further said about their background (family, age, career, physical appearance, and so on). Aside from how they are feeling at the moment, nothing is given about the way they lived before the sinking of the ship. In fact, there is no mention why their ship sinks and how they come together as a team. This way of characterization avoids the error of digressing from the story, which can be found in many stories dealing with the same theme. Other stories would have the character thinking of their families. Some have the characters recall dialogues they had with people who are not in the present setting, thus leaving readers to be at a loss in determining who is speaking. Although providing background of the characters could help make the saving part more meaningful, such style could defocus the readers. The purpose of The Open Boat is very clear. Given its setting and situation, the story provides insights on the struggle to survive in an open boat. Many other stories deal with the sinking of a ship or a boat but most of them employ a great deal of human emotion to produce a dramatic effect to move the readers to empathize with the survivors. For instance, in Poseidon, the director focuses on the relationship among the characters, thus creating a subjective view among the viewers. The beginning of the film shows how the characters are related to each other, Jennifer is engaged with Christian, and the couple is planning to tell Jennifer’s father about their engagement. Meanwhile, there is Maggie and her son, Connor who is also in the boat, and other characters who are either lovers or friends. These human relations make the survival attempts more complicated yet more captivating because readers develop the feeling of wanting to have each character saved, knowing their worth to other characters. However, as the characters struggle for their lives, their emotional connections become the subject of the story, instead of the ability to survive the catastrophe, which is a more significant issue, given the current setting and situation. As such, while other stories may explore emotional connectedness in the midst of adversity, The Open Boat, with its use of characters who are not emotionally connected, provides a more detached yet realistic and informative account of the experience. The characterization established by Crane becomes more meaningful as the story unravels. It reveals notions about how teamwork among the characters is developed, from being individuals with different backgrounds and skills to being a team that acts towards a common purpose. The struggle to survive becomes the core experience, and the rest of the events are aligned to this theme. The efforts of the oiler, the wisdom of the captain, the cunningness of the cook, and the internal monologues of the correspondent all serve to project a unified theme. However, in Poseidon, several major themes develop such as the willingness to sacrifice for others, the love that exists beyond death, and other emotional experiences. Again, although these major themes help to stir the emotions of the viewers, they tend to defocus the viewers and even exaggerate the dramatic element of the story. In contrast, the characterization by Crane becomes more meaningful as the story progresses because it shows how teamwork and empathy may be developed in the midst of adversity. As mentioned previously, the reason for the sinking of the ship where the four survivors originate is not emphasized in the story. Everything starts in medias res, thus the introduction reads, “None of them knew the color of the sky. Their eyes glanced level…” (57) The beginning statement already describes the four men sailing in one boat. Instead of explaining why they are together in a boat, Crane prefers to immediately situate the readers in the hardship that the characters are going through. The plot and the narrative style both assume that the readers are intelligent. There is no explanation how the captain was injured, why there are only four of them left, the mission of the correspondent, and so on. As if the previous occurrences are unimportant, the story deprives the readers of the past, thus making them focus more on the present dilemma, and leading them to realize that the story is uniquely different in its narrative style. The plot of the story avoids digressing to different settings and themes. Aside from starting in the middle of the event and avoiding excessive drama, the story focuses on the events that transpire. The action and thoughts of the characters are centered on the goal of survivorship. The arguments between characters are in line with the occurrences and are not used only to reveal characterization or to imply major themes. For instance, in Poseidon, Nelson’s character is used to impart an important message about the value of life. Before the Poseidon sinks, Nelson attempts to commit suicide, but towards the end, he realizes the value of life as he saves other people. In contrast, The Open Boa is focused on the theme of survival. The elements that appear such as the bird, Mosquito Inlet, life-saving station, shark, and so on serve to foreshadow the subsequent events. In particular, the bird, Mosquito Inlet, and life-saving station are signs that the men are near shore and will soon be rescued. Meanwhile, the presence of the shark foreshadows the danger and the death of the oiler. Even the thoughts of the characters are in line with the events. Other stories would have the characters thinking of other things such as their dreams or their loved ones but in The Open Boat, the correspondent who can be considered the major character, devotes his thoughts on survivorship. He repeatedly questions, 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? (71) In his solitariness, the correspondent thinks nothing else but how to survive the tragedy. Even though the story may seem to digress a little by introducing the verse that the correspondent remembers, A soldier of the Legion lay dying in Algiers, There was a lack of woman’s nursing, there was dearth of woman’s tears; But a comrade stood beside him, and he took that comrade’s hand, And he said: ‘I shall never see my own, my native land. (71) These lines serve two purposes. One, they suggest an atmosphere of war, which relates to the setting of the story, and two, they serve as a premonition to the nearing death of the oiler. Nevertheless, it is not clear in the verse who is bound to die, but the readers, upon reading the lines above, could tell that one of the men will die. As the lines impart, the “comrade” of the correspondent or the one closest to the correspondent dies. As such, the thoughts of the correspondent, which could be viewed as a form of digression, are actually used to foreshadow future events. Moreover, the scene in which the characters see a life-saving station but are disappointed to find help serves as an irony that reemphasizes the difficulty to survive. The events and characterization clearly highlight the theme of human survival in the middle of the ocean. While Poseidon suggests other themes such as valuing of life, love beyond death, courage, and so on, The Open Boat explores the theme of survivorship. Along with the wish of the characters to survive are their determination, physical endurance, and skill. However, these ideas are not presented as themes in the story. Crane shows an effort not to suggest these ideas as themes by neither highlighting them in the story nor focusing on a specific character to emphasize the idea. Instead, Crane describes the four men as equals. Each may have his own unique characteristics but nobody stands out. As Crane writes, it would be difficult to describe the subtle brotherhood of men that was here established on the seas. No one said that it was so. No one mentioned it. But it dwell in the boat, and each man felt it warm him. They were a captain, an oiler, a cook, and a correspondent, and they were friends. (61) Thus, instead of introducing other major themes, Crane imparts subthemes to survivorship such as camaraderie, oneness, and hope. These themes are what survivors in the sea need in order to live. Acknowledged as the best of Stephen Crane’s stories, The Open Boat provides a realistic presentation of the struggle for life through focused and unembellished characterization, plot and theme. Unlike Poseidon, which tends to dwell on other themes and uses the main experience to develop characterization, plot, and theme, The Open Boat uses the elements of the story to expound on the theme of survivorship. With Crane’s controlled use of the elements of short story, he achieves focus and closely reflects reality in the midst of a tragedy. The unique style of the author thus makes the story a classic masterpiece. Works Cited Crane, Stephen. The Open Boat. New York: Dover Publication, 1993. Poseidon. Dir. Wolfgang Petersen. Perf. Kurt Russell, Josh Lucas, Richard Dreyfuss, Emmy Rossum, Jacinda Barrett, and Mike Vogel. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2006. Film. Weatherford, Richard M. Stephen Crane: The Critical Heritage. New York: Routledge, 1997. Read More