The Open Boat by Stephen Crane Literary Analysis Essay Example

“A particular danger of the sea is the fact that after successfully getting through one wave, you discover that there is another behind it. The next wave is just as nervously anxious and purposeful to overturn boats…As each gray wall of water approached, it shut all else from the view of the men in the boat. It was not difficult to imagine that this particular wave was the final outburst of the ocean, the last effort of the determined water” (Crane 2).

Throughout “The Open Boat,” Stephen Crane takes advantage of a very leisurely and simple writing style, to better accentuate the symbolism within his text. Most noticeably, Crane uses the waves and the dangers presented by the ocean as a symbolic representation of the trials and unpredictability of life. “The Open Boat” follows the exhausted and shocked survivors of a shipwreck, miles off of the coast of Florida. The four survivors: a captain, an oiler, a cook, and a correspondent, are confined to the close quarters of a wooden dinghy, vulnerable to the will of the ocean. As the men maneuver the dinghy closer and closer to land, they must meticulously position the boat, so as to not be overturned by the sheer power of a wave. “A particular danger of the  sea is the fact that after successfully getting through one wave,  you discover that there is another behind it” (Crane 2). In life, we can find ourselves overly consumed in the trials of the day. Oftentimes, to the point where we lose sight of reason and practicality. Like the survivors, we divert all of our attention to a single “wave,” only to find another as we slide down the other side. 

After miles of grueling rowing, the four survivors finally come within eye shot of land, where they are met with a difficult decision. The men can either stall at sea just before the breaking of the waves, in hopes of a rescue ship coming to their aid, or they could try their luck and make a break to shore themselves. Collectively, the men decide that they will try for shore themselves, willingly braving the waves and the deadliness of the ocean. “The captain said, ‘if no help is coming, we might better try to reach land right away. If we stay out here much longer we will be too weak to do anything for ourselves at all” (Crane 12).  The four survivors no longer wait for rescue, they take their fate into their own hands, braving the breaking waves themselves. Crane masterfully uses this whole situation as a symbolism for life's uncertainty. Oftentimes, as we shift through the many aspects of life, we find ourselves waiting out beyond the breaking waves, never taking the leap of faith and trying to shore ourselves. Whether it be from uncertainty, fear, or lack of courage, we always look for the easy way out, for the lifeboat coming to our aid. Yet, it never comes. It’s only when we take our fate into our own hands that we can truly grow as an individual and face our trials head on. 

Stephen Crane’s symbolism within “The Open Boat,” is vital in bringing life to a story that, upon a pragmatic read, is quite plain and boring. They transform a simple tale of men stranded at sea, into a complex representation of the struggles we all face throughout life.  Whether it be our day to day problems or how we approach the many different trials throughout our lives, Crane was able to symbolize it by simply using the major set piece of his story, the ocean, something that has become so predictable over the years, made unpredictable.