Naturalism in Stephen Cranes the Open Boat free essay sample

Naturalism in Stephen Crane’s â€Å"The Open Boat† 1. What philosophical values, if any, are presented or advocated by Stephen Crane in the story? ** In Stephen Crane’s short story â€Å"The Open Boat† we are able to see the views of Crane concerning Naturalism. Throughout his story, Crane presents to us the idea that nature and the universe are both impassive and uncaring about humankind.An example of this idea would be when Crane states in the story: â€Å"When it occurs to a man that nature does not regard him as important, and that she feels she would not maim the universe by disposing of him†¦Any visible expression of nature would surely be pelleted with his jeers. † He makes it clear that it is our own duty to survive and not depend on nature and/or the universe because both of them have â€Å"no sense of obligation† to us. He also makes the point that nature is unconquerable and the best thing to do is fight your way through it and not against it. We will write a custom essay sample on Naturalism in Stephen Cranes the Open Boat or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Crane believed that continual pride and relying on each other could ultimately save us in the end. 2. How are heroism and courage defined in this story? ** I believe that Stephen Crane made it a point in his story not to play up the idea of heroism. As in â€Å"War is kind†, he criticizes the idea of a romantic hero because it is our duty to do whatever we need to in order to survive. On the other hand, I believed that Crane may have defined courage as being brave and having the guts to fight for survival. . Explain how the narrator’s concentration on his senses, such as seeing, hearing, feeling, tasting, touching, smelling, create the feeling of immediacy in the story. ** If Crane had not concentrated on his senses such as seeing, hearing, feeling, etc†¦ I do not believe that the story would have made as great of an impact. It was through his descriptions that I was able to imagine myself in the setting. I felt as if I were there because of the vivid descriptions and concentration on senses.An example of this would be when he describes the motions of the sea as â€Å"rising and falling†, â€Å"huge and rolling†, and others were like â€Å"little swells. † 4. Like â€Å"The Open Boat† Winslow Homer’s painting â€Å"The Gulf Stream† treats the theme of survival at sea. Compare Homer’s treatment of this theme with Crane’s treatment. ** It almost seems as though Homer’s treatment is simply to sit back and let nature take control of destiny. In his painting, we are able to see the tragic end of the unlucky sailor. On the other hand, Crane’s treatment is not giving up and struggling to survive through constant persistency.In his story, the characters never gave up and continued their struggle towards survival, unlike the sailor in Homer’s painting. 5. Explain how the characters’ reactions to their struggle at sea are archetypal or universal. Treat each character individually. ** Steven Crane’s story includes four major characters- the captain, the oiler, the correspondent, and the cook. The captain is described as being somewhat pessimistic and indifferent; the oiler is described as being physically strong; the correspondent is described as being a keen observer and the cook is quite comical. As a whole, I believe that the characters’ reactions to their struggles at sea were both typical and atypical. There are many people who would continue to fight if put in their situation and there would be many who would give up. The captain reaction to the struggle at sea was quite pessimistic which may be expected since his ship had already sunk once. The oiler, the correspondent, and cook were all hard-working during the struggle at sea, which I believe would be archetypal because of their persistency in not giving up.