Major Themes
Reading Analysis
Man vs. Nature
Study Guide Questions
Misc.
100
What main emotions are shown in "The Open Boat"
Fear, desperation, resilience, and camaraderie
100
What is the opening scene in, "The Open Boat"?
A storm in the middle of the rough sea with the four characters in the lifeboat.
100
How does nature affect the characters?
Nature(the sea) is trying to drown the characters while the men on the life boat are just trying to stay afloat.
100
How many hours elapse during the story?
30 hours
100
What is the name of the main character in, "The Open Boat"?
The main character's name is Billie
200
What is the main theme of "The Open Boat"?
Man vs. Nature
200
What is "in medias res"?
In the middle of the action/story
200
How does nature operate in the story?
Nature is the antagonist.
200
What do the sea, gulls, the shark represent?
Sea - powerful, gulls - hint of death, shark - nature's predatory aspect
200
What kind of irony is shown in "The Open Boat"?
Situational and dramatic irony is used.
300
What is the theme behind the crew not being able to tell the difference between the sea and the sky?
The crew was too concerned about the danger of the water to look up.
300
How is the randomness of shipwrecks compared to fate?
Fate, like shipwrecks, can never be planned for or explained.
300
Out of the four men, who end up making it to shore safely after the shipwreck?
All the men survived except Billie.
300
How is Crane's idea of Man vs. Nature contrast with the Romantic view of nature?
Crane believes that nature and humanity are two conflicting things while the Romantic view sees nature and humanity as living in harmony.
300
Out of the four men on the boat(correspondent, oiler, captain, and cook), who is supposed to represent Crane?
The correspondent is supposedly a representation of Crane because he was a correspondent and also had the experience of being a shipwreck survivor serving off of a small lifeboat with three others.
400
Name one of the two-part themes in, "The Open Boat".
"Fate and Morality" or "Certainty and Uncertainty"
400
The underlying theme of Man vs. Nature is what?
The underlying theme is that nature always wins.
400
What happens to the lifeboat at the end of the story?
The lifeboat sink at the end of the story
400
What is the irony behind the statement, "If I am going to be drowned..."?
The irony behind the statement, "If I am going to be drowned..." is that is how Billie ends up dying.
400
Are the colors in the story dull or vibrant? Why?
The color scheme used in the story is dull to symbolize that nature is fighting against the characters. Rather than being calm and beautiful, the sea is harsh and dull in color.
500
Even in this book about fighting for one's life, how is empathy shared between the men on the lifeboat?
The men can sympathize with one another because they are all dealing with the same state of peril. They all understand each other because they are all experiencing the same chain of events. Everything that the crew meets, they will meet together.
500
Why does Crane use on-land objects as descriptions during sea-faring events?
Crane uses gulls, rugs, horses, etc. to easily describe what it is like to readers who haven't been on the sea before.
500
What is the job of each of the four men to keep the lifeboat afloat?
Captain - orders/directions, Cook - scooping out water from the boat, Billie and Correspondent - steering and paddling the lifeboat.
500
Describe the characteristics of each of the four men in the boat.
The four men are: the correspondent who is an introspective(mentally and emotionally aware) observer, the captain who is a natural leader, the cook who is naive yet optimistic, and the oiler who is practical and hardworking.
500
What does this paiting based on the short story depict? Think of who each character might be.
The survival of the three crewmates and Billie being carried off by what is assumed to be an angel is shown in this photo.