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The Open Boat Essay

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The Open Boat Essay
Stephen Cran’s the Open Boat displays the Archetypal theme of light and darkness. The story chronicles the journey of five men as they are stranded at sea in a small boat. The men experience both physical and mental anguish as they drift aimlessly in a vast body of water. The vast expanse of the ocean helps the reader relate to the characters and their effort to rectify their situation. Their efforts at time seem futile at times. The harsh reality of their situation is evident. In the beginning of the story fear strikes the men like a wave striking their boat. The men then become consumed with fear, anger and confusion. The men attempt to justify why they are in the situation. They soon come to realize that there is no explanation or …show more content…
The bond is formed through the shared experience and the trauma they have been forced to endure. The three men who survive the journey feel like they have formed a deep and real connection because of their shared experience. The passage from the story I decided to focus on was.” It would be difficult to describe the subtle brotherhood of men that was here established on the seas. No one said that it was so. No one mentioned it. But it dwelt in the boat, and each man felt it warm him.” I chose this quote because I felt it had a resounding similarity to what takes place when someone enters the military. I tried to emotionally put myself in the shoes of an eighteen year high school kid who has just enlisted. The striking reality of serving and possibly dying for your country compared to the emotions that characters in the story felt. The harsh reality a new enlisted recruit must face, knowing his life is always in peril. This is the same type of emotions and anxieties the characters in the story must contend with. I also reflected on the idea of a forced comradeship that occurs both in the military and in the story. The idea of coming together as group with individual you have never meant and pledging to stand strong and united as a group no matter what obstacles you
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