Dec 2, 2008

The Open Boat | The Open Boat

At a glance:

Author: Stephen Crane
First Published: 1898
Type of Plot: Psychological
Time of Work: The late 1890's
Setting: At sea and off the coast of St. Augustine, Florida
Principal Characters: The correspondent, The oiler “Billy,”, The cook, The captain
Genres: Psychological fiction, Short fiction
Subjects: Nature, Autobiography, Human race, Shipwrecks, Boats or boating
Locales: Oceans, St. Augustine, FL

The Story

Four men are adrift in an open boat, their ship having gone down about dawn. Now, in the clear light of day, the men begin to perceive the full gravity of their situation. The captain is lying injured in the bow of the boat, and the January sea is tossing the men about, rising menacingly over the gunwales. The oiler and the correspondent are rowing, trying to reach Mosquito Light Inlet, where, the cook has said, there is a lifesaving station.

As the day passes, the men grow silent. The captain encourages them. “We’ll get ashore all right,” he says. As...

[The entire page is 1335 words long]

The Open Boat | The Open Boat

At a glance:

The Story

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