The Open Boat

Fiction | Short Story | Adult | Published in 1897

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Download PDF

Summary

Background

Story Analysis

Character Analysis

Themes

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Important Quotes

Essay Topics

Tools

Beta

Discussion Questions

Character Analysis

The Correspondent

The correspondent is arguably the main character, and the partiality the narrator shows to the correspondent probably reflects the fact that Stephen Crane was also a journalist. Although the narration is omniscient and third person, it tends to focus on the correspondent’s thoughts. As a man who writes for a living, the correspondent is a fitting character through whom to present philosophical ideas.

Crane grants the correspondent a backstory and complexity the other characters lack; he is imaginative and reflective. The narrator takes the reader back into the correspondent’s childhood, discussing how the correspondent “had been acquainted with the fact that a soldier of the Legion lay dying in Algiers” through a rhyme he and his classmates learned at school (231-32). The correspondent is also the character who realizes that the idea of People Versus Nature is a false dichotomy; nature isn’t good or bad but simply “flatly indifferent” (234). At the same time, the correspondent’s characterization conforms to the detached tone of the story because many details about him remain unknown, including his name.

The Captain

The captain is noble and sacrificial. As the captain, he’s the leader. Although he is hurt, he hasn’t lost command: He issues orders, and the men obey them, illustrating the power dynamics of the boat. The captain is the character who decides when to try and break through the surf, so he organizes the rescue of himself, the cook, and the correspondent.

Like the correspondent, the captain is multifaceted. While Crane doesn’t delve into the captain’s childhood or much of his interiority, Crane adds nuance to the captain by giving him an injury. The captain, despite his title, is literally and figuratively vulnerable. He doesn’t know everything, as the cook has to inform the captain that the lighthouse is empty. The captain also experiences a range of emotions. In the opening paragraphs, the captain feels “profound dejection and indifference” (214). A handful of paragraphs later, the captain is encouraging the men by telling them they’ll survive.

As the captain thinks of the men as his “children,” the captain’s character is paternal. He is the head of the “family,” but he is also caring and compassionate and puts the welfare of the men ahead of his own. When the man from the beach wants to help him, the captain “wave[s] him away and sen[ds] him to the correspondent” (238).

The Oiler

The oiler is the only character with a name: Billie. One reason why Crane assigns the oiler a name might relate to the story’s ending. Billie is the sole man on the boat who dies, and his name humanizes him. This creates pathos and reflects Naturalist ideas about human agency and personality: The most obviously individuated character does not survive, suggesting that the very ideas of personal identity and free will are illusions.

As someone who oils machinery, Billie likely has the least delicate of the occupations represented on the boat. The cook works with food, the correspondent writes articles, and the captain directs the crew. As Billie is the man engaging in the hardest physical labor, his profession links to his temperament. Although he obeys the captain and contributes to the camaraderie of the dinghy, he’s irritable and gritty. The correspondent asks him if he likes to row, and Billie replies, “No. Hang it!” (224). Later, Billie and the correspondent yell at the cook for asking them about pie. When there are small threats to the unity of the boat, Billie plays a role. He is touchy and tough. After the boat overturns, he swims “strongly and rapidly” to shore (236), but his brawn doesn’t help him survive, underscoring the theme of Survival Versus Fate and Powerlessness—specifically, the randomness of the universe and the insignificance of human efforts.

The Cook

The cook is arguably the least rounded character on the boat. He plays a minor role in the story’s events, and the narrator and the men seem to treat him with derision. The narrator notes the cook’s “fat forearms” and how “the two flaps of his unbuttoned vest dangled as he bent to bail out the Boat” (213). The cook is slovenly and overweight. He’s also somewhat comical, as he continually remarks, “Gawd! That was a narrow clip” (213).

If there is an outcast on the dinghy, it’s the cook, so his character raises questions about Community and Cooperation Versus Alienation. The cook tries to converse with the oiler about food, “murmur[ing] dreamfully” about whether he likes pie (228), and the oiler and the correspondent rebuff him: They yell at him for thinking about such treats when they have to focus on surviving their torturous situation. Since the cook continues to talk about food—ham sandwiches, specifically—he comes across as somewhat obtuse. He also seems like the least imposing of the characters, as his murmur and dreamlike state lend him an insubstantial quality.

Yet the cook isn’t a useless character. He’s still a part of the community, and he contributes to the men’s survival by removing water from the boat. The captain helps the cook survive by ordering him to turn over on his back and use the oar to paddle himself ashore, which makes the cook look “as if he were a canoe” (237).