Summary
Narrated from a third-person omniscient perspective, Stephen Crane’s “The Open Boat” begins with four men rowing a small boat on rough seas off the coast of Florida in January. The narrator suggests that none of the men know what color the sky is because their eyes are fixed on the violent waves sweeping under their vulnerable rowboat. The waves are as dark as slate rock, with frothy white tops. The narrator emphasizes the boat’s smallness by comparing it to a bathtub.
The narrator introduces us to the four men. The cook squats in the boat, bailing out the water that collects in the bottom. Billie, the oiler, steers the boat, occasionally standing out of the way of the water rushing in over the side. The newspaper correspondent—who Crane based on himself—wields the other oar and wonders why he is there. The captain, who is injured, lies in the front of the boat, feeling despair. He commands Billie to keep the boat heading south.
The narrator illustrates the boat’s rise and fall on the waves by comparing the motion to a horse jumping over fences. The narrator comments that each successfully surmounted wave will be followed by another wave, each of which is eager to swamp the boat. The narrator suggests that one can best understand the sea’s force when one sits in a ten-foot dinghy boat. The silent but menacing waves are described as having a terrible grace.
The narrator assumes that the men’s faces must look grey in the pale sunlight, and in some ways picturesque. But the narrator admits he is merely speculating about this detail: the men are too occupied with bailing out the boat to have time to think about what they might look like. The sun rises, and the sea changes color from slate to emerald green.
The cook and the correspondent argue about the difference between a life-saving station, where there are crews that spot boats in peril and save them, and a house of refuge, which is full of supplies for shipwrecked sailors. The cook claims there is a house of refuge north of Mosquito Inlet Light where they will be spotted and saved. The correspondent reminds him that houses of refuge don’t have crews, and the cook wonders if he is thinking of a life-saving station. The first part ends with the oiler reminding them that they aren’t near Mosquito Inlet yet.
In the second part, the narrator describes the dazzling and exhilarating movement of the waves and wind. The cook suggests it is an on-shore wind, which gives the crew hope of finding land soon. However, the captain chuckles bleakly, and the crew goes quiet, worried their optimism had been childish. The captain reassures them they’ll come ashore soon.
Gulls fly close to the boat, sometimes sitting on rafts of brown seaweed and watching the men disinterestedly. The men envy the birds, who are comfortable in rough seas. One gull lands on the captain’s head and then flies parallel to the boat, staring at the men. The men swear at the ominous gull until the captain waves it away. Meanwhile, the correspondent and the oiler take turns rowing; when it is time to switch out who rows and who rests, they require an elegant maneuver to slide past each other. As the crew seeks land, brown mats of seaweed resembling islands float past them. Finally, the captain spots the Mosquito Inlet lighthouse; the cook sees it too. After some time and anxious squinting, the correspondent sees the lighthouse too, but it is so far off in the distance it is the size of a pin. The second part of the story ends with the crew still bailing and rowing, but with more cheer.
In the third part, the narrator digresses to discuss the brotherhood that exists in the boat. No one speaks of their friendship, but cooperation reassures the motley crew of their common safety. Though the captain is injured, the crewmembers obey him and respect each other. The correspondent, having been taught to distrust men, finds this camaraderie to be the best experience of his life.
Returning to the action, the scene picks up with the captain saying he wished he had a sail so the rowers could rest. They make a sail out of an oar and the captain’s overcoat and head toward the lighthouse, which grows larger, appearing like a faint gray shadow. In time the wind dies down and the men row again.
The narrator discusses the shipwreck that put the four men in the dinghy. The men hadn’t slept for two days and two nights before the ship had finally wrecked, and had been too distracted by their sinking ship, thereby forgetting to eat. The correspondent and the oiler are exhausted, and neither wants to row. The correspondent mentions how absurd he thinks rowing is; he considers it a diabolical punishment to one’s back and arms.
Slowly, the trees and sand appear to rise from the sea. The crew believes the lighthouse-keeper will have spotted them through a scope and notified the life-savers, who will take a boat out to save them. Believing they will be on shore in an hour, a cheerfulness enters the minds of the men on the boat. The correspondent finds four dry cigars in his pocket; the cigars reassure them of their impending rescue as the embers shine in their expectant eyes.
Analysis
The story begins by establishing the central conflict: the four men are struggling not to die as the large and indifferent waves threaten to capsize their small and pathetic boat.
In the opening sections, as throughout the story, the narrator personifies natural elements, turning nature into a character within the story. The sunlight is flame-like; the waves are threatening and chilly; even the gulls are ominous and menacing. These descriptions illustrate how the men are pitted against nature, which is the story’s central theme.
The narrator introduces the characters, suggesting in the process each of their roles on the boat. Even though they are in a lifeboat following the main ship’s sinking, and are exhausted from their efforts to stay alive, they abide by a hierarchy.
The motif of communication and the themes of survival and solidarity are introduced: the maritime hierarchy of command and division of labor ensures the men’s mutual survival; it also gives structure to the long hours at sea and engenders a sense of camaraderie in what would otherwise be a desperate and depressing situation.
The motif of the men’s shifting moods is encapsulated in the way they project their hopes onto the lighthouse they see in the distance. They are exhausted, and eager for the ordeal to end. This leads them to become overly confident about their impending rescue.
