Answer:
Men interpret certain events and items as signs of their fate.
Explanation:
'The Open Boat' by 'Stephen Crane' is story about four survivors who are stuck in a ten-foot lifeboat. They struggle with their fate and face death. They understand that man cannot change fate. They interpret few events as sign of their fate.
They see a lighthouse far off, which is used to warn ships in case there is a huge rock but in this case, men try to determine the rocks on their own and get no encouragement. They find no rescue.
In another situation they find a small village which they think may be abandoned being close to the sea. The windmill is standing tall but village has no people shows how nature is indifferent to humans.
The man on the shore waves his shirt thinking he is helping them by giving a signal but the men in the boat do not understand the signal. Thus, they are not rescued. They also become angry with the man on the shore. This is the irony of man waving the shirt.
