Holly Logsdon
Dr. Rob Hale
STEPS: Literary Analysis
September 8, 2014
Title
Around the turn of the twentieth century, a movement known as Naturalism dominated American literature. Naturalism centers on the idea that humanity is at the mercy of an uncaring universe, powerless against the forces of nature. Further, extreme naturalism emphasizes the human tendency to disregard the needy and downtrodden in society. The weak cannot overcome their circumstances, and mere humans cannot thwart the onslaught of Nature. To the naturalist, the universe is apathetic toward the plight of humanity, and ultimately, people are too.
A study of American Naturalism includes the writing of Stephen Crane, whose body of work draws attention to human suffering—to poverty, war, and natural disasters that strike without regard to fairness or mercy. In “The Open Boat,” a fictional account of an actual event in Crane’s life, four men are forced out to sea in a ten-foot dinghy when their ship sinks. Treacherous waves and brutal conditions demonstrate the sea’s indifference to the men’s fate. But contrary to naturalist ideology, the main characters embody all that is admirable and decent. In his poignant work, “The Open Boat,” Stephen Crane makes the case for compassion, a distinction that sets apart human nature from the uncaring nature of the universe.
During thirty terrifying hours on the open sea with three companions, Stephen Crane experienced the lethal force of nature and its indiscriminate attack on innocent people. “The Open Boat” is his sobering portrayal of lives forever changed by a universe in chaos. Despite this reality, Crane makes a distinction between uncaring Nature and human nature with his characterization of the crew and the people who come to their aid. Aboard the tiny dinghy are four men representing society—the captain, the oiler, the correspondent, and the cook. On the distant shore, beach dwellers are unaware of the calamity at sea or the desperate plight of the crew. What unfolds is the profound account of human behavior at its finest, amidst the very worst that Nature can unleash.