Open Boat By Stephen Crane

A great story will drag the reader into the author’s reality. The reader will also get a glimpse into the mind of the author and perhaps feel as if he or she is directly in the story. Stephen Crane was effective is creating a visual picture for the reader when he says, “A night on the sea in an open boat is a long night,” (281). This picture gives the reader a sense of danger and suffering the characters will experience. The use of setting, style, and character allow the reader to feel the agony of the characters stranded on the open water and believe his assertion. Crane’s choice of words in his statement already set up a dark mood in the setting of the story. The night almost always complicates any predicament a person may face. In fact,
the crew in the boat struggle with the cold as the night settles in. The cook sought warmth from his life belt and his teeth chattered rapidly (Crane 281). This reality that the characters will face a long, cold night makes the reader feel sympathy for them. The open boat scenario also adds to Crane’s assertion of it being a long night. Being surrounded by water, fatigued, and clinging to life provide a situation no reader wants to be a part of. The style of the characters’ dialogue suggests all characters in the boat are doomed. On more than one occasion, Crane groups all of the characters’ feelings on their frustration and pending demise as if they were one voice. All four become irritated when communication breaks down with their would-be rescuer ashore. As one, they all seem to remark, “Funny they don’t see us” (Crane 276). They all also share the same rant about drowning in the ocean (Crane 277). Both instances reveal to the reader that no character’s chances of survival are better than another. The characters are the last piece to proving a night in the open boat is a long night. A cook, a correspondent, an oiler, and an injured captain appear to be characters that would not fare well stranded on the open sea. The long night theory is more believable because the reader understands these characters are out of their element. Just before being rescued, the correspondent is on the brink of drowning, but a wave swerves out of danger and gives him a second chance at life (Crane 287). He collapses ashore and feels “as if he had dropped from a roof, but the thud was grateful to him” (Crane 288). It is evident through the correspondent the ordeal of the sailors was not a short one. It was indeed a long night for those huddled inside the open boat. Sadly, not all made it to the shore alive, but it was still a great story of survival. The setting and style complement each other to make the reader believe just how serious the struggle is. The correspondent’s reaction to hitting the beach shows Crane’s ability to create a believable scenario. Stephen Crane did well in capturing the experience of being stranded at sea, perhaps because of his own account.