The Open Boat Heroism

In “ The Open Boat” crane personifies elements in the nature as a factor which brings out the true human nature and test’s a person’s ability to survive, and work together rather than nature being an overwhelming destructive force. One does not have to end up being stranded on the open sea like the four men did to test their ability to survive, it exists in a variety of real world situation, but one has to see it as such. Although those situations may not require the same experience as the four men did.
The four men - the cook, the oiler, the captain, and the correspondent come from different class, background, and didn’t even know each other before they ended up in the boat together yet they worked together to help each other to survive. Crane personified sharks, winds, waves, small boat, surf as the different never-ending tests which they had to overcome in
All of these four men worked hard and had an equal contribution for each other’s survival. However out of these four men, who is the hero? Heroism is not something you can learn or get from experience, but rather heroism is something that comes out of need of survival. It is a one’s perspective that determines who the hero is. For some all of those four men might be heroes, but for some only one of them might be a hero. It all depends on one’s perspective towards the other.
Stephen Crane’s “ The Open Boat” gives out an important message about human nature, no matter the background, class we need each other to survive. Crane’s characterization of the four men show’s the brotherhood and human’s true nature to save others even if that means risking one’s own