Question

Short-response prompt (15 points) Read the following passage from the beginning of Stephen Crane's 1897 story "The Open Boat." In the passage, four men are stranded at sea in a small lifeboat after their ship sinks: None of them knew the color of the sky. Their eyes glanced level, and were fastened upon the waves that swept toward them. These waves were of the hue of slate, save for the tops, which were of foaming white, and all of the men knew the colors of the sea. The horizon narrowed and widened, and dipped and rose, and at all times its edge was jagged with waves that seemed thrust up in points like rocks. Many a man ought to have a bath-tub larger than the boat which here rode upon the sea. These waves were most wrongfully and barbarously abrupt and tall, and each froth-top was a problem in small boat navigation. . . . The injured captain, lying in the bow, was at this time buried in that profound dejection and indifference which comes, temporarily at least, to even the bravest and most enduring when, willy-nilly, the firm fails, the army loses, the ship goes down. The mind of the master of a vessel is rooted deep in the timbers of her, though he command for a day or a decade; and this captain had on him the stern impression of a scene in the grays of dawn of seven turned faces, and later a stump of a topmast with a white ball on it, that slashed to and fro at the waves, went low and lower, and down. Thereafter there was something strange in his voice. Although steady, it was deep with mourning, and of a quality beyond oration or tears. Make a prediction. Based on the passage, what themes, or central ideas, do you think will be developed in the story? Describe at least two. Then explain why you think these themes will be developed. Be sure to use specific details from the passage to support your ideas.

Answer 1

Answer:

Two themes to be explored could be madness/doom and survival.

Explanation:

Madness: when the line separating reality from imagination is blurred, people begin to act strangely, madly, and loose the ability to cope with feelings of anxiety or desperation in a coherent, healthy way.

- Why will this situation be developed? The situation of the four stranded seamen is condemned to become cahotic if their circumstances remained unchanged. The captain is already showing signs of desperation and paranoia in the form of a "stern impression of a scene in the grays of dawn...".

Survival: when people find themselves in life or death situations, a number of psycological mechanisms begin to activate to ensure survival: among them an increased sense of competitiveness. Also, people tend to become more resourceful to maximize the odds of preserving life, yet they also turn more viscious and territorial.

- Why will this situation be developed? The story is about four men stranded at sea, and though we lack information regarding their specific circumstances (food, supplies, tools), it is clear that their lives are at stake. The laws that rule society apply differently when the only concern is to remain alive and the circumstances are extreme.