The Open Boat by Stephen Crane as an Example of American Naturalism

Naturalism movement which was introduced in the American literature at the end of the 19th century, tries to reproduce reality as objectively as possible, exposing both the most sublime and beautiful aspects, as well as the most vulgar and dark ones. This term was created by the French writer Émile Zola who was considered the greatest representative of naturalism who pioneered the genre in the prologue of his novel 'Thérèse Raquin'. Some American writers associated with this movement are Ellen Glasgow, David Graham Phillips and Stephen Crane, being the latter one is of the first exponents of the naturalism in literature. His story 'The Open Boat', which will be analysed in the next paragraphs, is a clear example of American naturalism.

The basis of naturalism is mainly found in the deterministic philosophical doctrine. According to this theory, all phenomena are pre-determined in a necessary way by some initial conditions or circumstances. As it is reflected in the definition, naturalists thought that human beings had no control over their lives and believed in the omnipotence of the universe and nature. In the words of Oscar Cargill, an instructor at Marietta College, naturalist authors ‘were pessimists in that they believed in the absolute incapacity of men and women to shape their own destinies’’ and ‘they felt that he could not achieve happiness by any conscious decision and that he received no earthly or heavenly reward for acting morally’.

In addition, naturalism places its main emphasis on characters from lower and marginal socio-economic classes who inhabit in urban settings and whose lives are governed by passion, genetic heritage and instinct. Detached, unemotional tone and the frequent use themes that pit man against nature or against himself are also common in this literary genre.

Moreover, the role of Darwinian theory also had a great influence on this literary movement since Darwin's ideas contributed greatly to reinforcing the idea that men were subject to natural laws. This shows the reason why naturalists rejected the idea of any kind of divinity because for them, the human being was a mere toy within nature.

Stephen Crane's short tale,'The Open Boat', narrates the story of four men who struggle to survive in the face of the indifference of the ocean and who spend almost two days at the mercy of the waves off the coast of Florida before they can swim ashore. These men, a cook, an oiler, a correspondent and the captain of the lifeboat, rotate their tasks to help keep the rowboat afloat.

One of the characteristics of naturalism mentioned above and present in 'The Open Boat' is determinism. This story suggests that humans are incapable of changing their fate and furthermore, warns that one should not try to find a meaning to one's destiny and therefore it should be accepted as such.

As the characters in this story are subjected to a destiny already prefixed by the laws of nature which prevents them, no matter how hard they try, from making their own decisions. Some examples of determinism are the lack of control over the small boat despite all efforts to keep it afloat, the death of the oiler before it can reach land or the moment when men have to make a flag out of a bath towel that they find in their boat by 'some strange coincidence'.

This characteristic of naturalism is also presented in another story written by Crane, 'The Blue Hotel', that narrates the story of a series of events that take place in a hotel in Nebraska and which ends with the murder of one of its guests, a Swede. When this character arrives at the hotel, he predicts that he will die in that hotel. Such comment generates tension in the rest of guests around him. This event plays an important role in him being stabbed that night in a bar. Throughout the story, the author leads readers to a deterministic interpretation of events by describing the actions of men taken not out of free will but by their environment and instinct.

Another theme that stands out in 'The Open Boat' is the indifference of nature towards human beings. The protagonists of this story try to prevail over nature but nature has total power over them. Moreover, the narrator points out that this control of natural forces is not due to any concern for men.

Crane describes how the four men in the small boat are at the mercy of the five oceans, which even brings more power to nature. An example of the magnitude of nature's control over humanity is the comparison the correspondent makes when he sees a shark and compares it to a deadly weapon. The same is true when the captain tries to chase away a seagull that has sat on him, but he avoids doing so for fear of sinking the boat and allows it to sit for as long as it wants.

Furthermore, at the beginning of the narration the sea is described as something violent and wild. As the narrator reports, the boat movement on the waves ‘was much like an animal. As each wave came, and she rose for it, she seemed like a horse leaping over a high fence. The manner of her ride over these walls of water is a thing of mystery. Each wave required a new leap, and a leap from the air.’ 

Later, when the boat is approaching the shore, the narrator describes the clouds, the calm tides and the unchanged activity of the seagulls. In fact, what changes in the story is not the ocean but the four men's perception of it. Crane reinforces nature's indifference to human beings by showing that it can as soon be turned against them as it can be turned in their favour.

Another point this story has in common with 'The Blue Hotel' is the extreme isolation from society due to extreme weather events such as a storm at sea and a blizzard. The confinement of different groups of characters has different consequences. In the case of the narration of 'The Open Boat', the distressing situation at sea brings out the best in the men who act as a team to reach the coast while in 'The Blue Hotel' the group of men locked in the hotel end up in a violent fight.

In the story of 'The Open Boat', Stephen Crane shows a universe completely indifferent to human affairs. The characters come face to face with this indifference and are almost overcome by the lack of concern about it. They only manage to survive through effort and cooperation.

At this point, it is inevitable to make a link between the story and the world situation since we are confined to our homes and exposed to an extreme expression of nature, just like the crew of the small boat. Just as in that situation the best of human beings came out and led them to success, so we can do the same.

References

• Bloom, Harold, American Naturalism. Chelsea Publisher, 2004.
• Crane, Stephen, The Open Boat.