The Open Boat Group

Question:

peluza74
peluza74
Student
College - Senior

At the beginning, the characters are described collectively. Is the ending of the story a return to the collective form of the beginning? Example?

At the beginning of “The Open Boat,” the characters are described collectively: “None of them knew the color of the sky. Their eyes glanced level, and were fastened on the waves that swept toward them.” Subsequently, the reactions of the individual characters are reported. Section VI is dominated by the ruminations of the correspondent. Give an example from the story.

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Posted by peluza74 on Tuesday June 10, 2008 at 8:12 PM and tagged with characters, collective, description, man v nature, style, themes.

Answers:


  1. bmadnick Teacher
    High School - 11th Grade

    Yes, you're absolutely right! At the end of the story, the three men who have survived stand on the shore, listening to the waves, "and they felt they could then be interpreters." Crane's use of starting and ending his story with the men as a collective group shows what lesson the men have learned as a result of their ordeal. In the beginning, the men see their situation as ridiculous. As they face the possibility of death, the men separate into their own thoughts and feelings. At the end, the survivors are brought back together as a cohesive group, brothers in a sense. They have fought against the forces of nature, realized how insignificant men are in relation to the universe, and they have now learned that only by sticking together can man hope to survive the forces that are beyond their control. The group at the end of the story is very different from the group of men at the beginning. In the end, the men are wiser, knowing that life is tenuous.

    Sources:
    http://www.enotes.com/open-boat

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    Posted by bmadnick on Friday June 13, 2008 at 9:56 AM

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