Stephen Crane -- (1871 - 1900)

Born in New Jersey, Crane began writing stories at the age of eight, and by the time he was sixteen he was helping his brothers write for newspapers. He attended a number of colleges but did not graduate. During his first year at Syracuse University he completed his first novel, Maggie: A Girl of the Streets, which he published with borrowed money in 1893. It is a uncompromisingly realistic study of a slum girl's descent into prostitiution and eventual suicide. At that time its subject was so shocking that Crane had to use a pseudonym. During the remainder of his brief and turbulent life (don't even ask about his love life!), he worked as a writer and war correspondent. He spent a year in the West, and two of his better-known stories, "The Bride Comes to Yellow Sky" and "The Blue Motel," came out of this experience.

His best known novel, The Red Badge of Courage, is a classic and was published in 1895. This book brought him international fame as a psychological study of an average soldier. It has been called the first modern war novel because, uniquely for its time, it tells the experience of war from the point of view of an ordinary soldier. Henry Fleming is eager to demonstrate his patriotism in a glorious battle, but when the slaughter starts, he is overwhelmed with fear and lees the battlefield. Ironically, he receives his "red badge of courage' when he is slightly wounded by being struck on the head by a deserter. He witnesses a friend's gruesome death and becomes enraged at the injustice and impersonal reality of war. The courage of common soldier and the agoinies of death cure him of his romantic notions. He returns to his regiment and continues to fight without illusions and with true courage.

In 1897 on Crane's way to Cuba to report on the insurrection in that island, he nearly lost his life when his ship sank. He managed to row to shore with the captain, the cook, and oiler. The result was one of the world's greatest short stories and greatest example of naturalism, "The Open Boat." This story recounts the efforts of four survivors of a shipwreck as the attempt to remain afloat in a dinghy on the rough seas. Told from a shifting point of view, the narrative reveals nature's indifference.

Stephen Crane died of tuberculosis compounded by malaria in England.

"The Open Boat" by Stephen Crane

"The Open Boat" is the best example in Crane's work of his ability to transumute actual experience into universal significance without losing accuracy or verisimilitude. In order to dramatize the spiritual awakening of his main character, the correspondent, Crane imposes a fictional design of the literal events of the shipwreck. The design is a mental journey as well as a physical one during which the correspondent changes from observer into participant into interpreter. As a writer of naturalistic fiction, Crane is concerned with the effect of events upon character and the psychological consequences of those events. Readers should alert to the growth of the main character by thinking about the following questions: To what extent does the observer who begins the story differ from the interpreter who ends it? How does his view of himself and his place the world widen, deepen, or change? how is his spiritual awakening accomplished and of what does it consist?

Just as the correspondent's moral maturation exemplifies the story's naturalism and realism, the oiler's senseless death also exemplifies naturalism. The following poem by Stephen Crane succinctly states this:

A Man Said to the Universe

A man said to the universe:

"Sir, I exist!"

"However," replied the universe,

"the fact has not created in me

A sense of obligation."

In the world depicted by this story, even the fittest man, represented in "The Open Boat" by the oiler, who is physically and morally the superior of the other crew members, does not survive. Despite his prowess at rowing and swimming, despite his expert seamanship, and even despite his great compassion for humanity, he alone of the four perishes. Here, then is a vivid example of nature's indifference to man and his problems.If you examine the story closely, you will find that at times Crane directly conveys his belief that nature is infiiferent to the struggles of humanity. For example, he writes, "When it occurs to a man that nautre does not regard him as important, and that she feels she would not maim the universe by disposing of him, he at first wishes to throw bricks at the temple, and he hates deeply the fact that there are no bricks and no temples."

Note further that of the cast of characters in the story only the oiler has been given a name, which serves to heighten the irony of his dehumanized death. But even he, like the correspondent, the captain, and the cook, is essentially presented in terms of his role -- that of oiler. The relative absence of names suggests on the most elementary level the kind of anonymity that typifies many naturalistic works. Man is insignificant. However, these nameless characters continually struggle against the concept that universe is not personally involved either benevolently or malevolently in their troubles. The characters try to make nature human at various points in order to convince themselves that their fate is of crucial concern to the universe. "Many a man had died upon the seas," they think to themselves. "But she dare not kill ME."

Symbols: A symbol is any object, person or place that represents something larger than itself, such as a quality or a belief. For example, a dove is a type of bird, but symbolically represents peace as well. There are several symbols used by Crane in "The Open Boat." The ocean usually symbolizes the vast universe because it seems to have no end; just water as far and as deep as the eye can see. Try to figure out what the following object and phrase may symbolize in the story:

Sea:

Waves:

The Dinghy:

Shark:

"the sacred cheese of life":

_______________Using Context Clues________________

The words that surround a particular word in a sentence or paragraph are called the CONTEXT of that word. In many cases, the context of a word can provide clues about that word's meaning. For example, consider the following sentence in which context clues provide hints about the meaning of the word nocturnal.

"Soon after sundown, the nocturnal creatures of the desert begin to stir and venture out of their dens and nests."

In this example, the phrases "Soon after sundown" and "venture out of their dens and nests" indicate that the "nocturnal creatures of the desert" become active after dark. Consequently, these clues reveal that the word nocturnal means "active during the nighttime."

Being able to use context clues is an important skill to develop. One, because you will be taking aptitude tests for college entrance and scholarships and vocabulary is important to a good score. You won't be able to look up the definition of the words you don't know; you will have to use context clues to help you come to some suggestion to the word's meaning.

Secondly, the amount of reading you will be doing in college and the work place is such that it will be impractical to look up the dictionary definition of every word that you are unfamiliar with.

Print the ACTIVITY below for extra help in using context clues. If you get it done during the time we are studying "The Open Boat", you will recieve extra credit (and you know how little I offer extra credit!).

ACTIVITY

Below is a fictitious journal entry from a member of the governing body of an unnamed country. Using the context of the passage, fill in each blank with the most appropriate word from the following list of words, which are from "The Open Boat."

What a(n) __________________________ debate we had on the floor today? All

that shouting and fighting and jumping up and down to make motions.

Fortunately, I had carefully worked out a(n) ___________________________

proposal for a bill that would mean the ________________________ of

homework assignments for every high school student in the country and the

introduction of a two-hour lunch period. by sponsoring the bill, I will surely get

the votes of high school students once they reach eighteen. My campaign

manager was ______________________ in her belief that this was a sure thing.

Not only would I have millions of votes, but I would also be seen as a truly

________________________ leader, one with only the best interests of the

constituents at heart. My underhanded opponents, however, cooked up a

________________________ scheme to keep the bill from passing. First, they

brought in a __________________________ crew of lobbyists, some dressed in

patriotic colors, waving "Save Our Country" posters; others clutching stacks of

homework assignments that would be useless under the new bill. However, with

_________________________ composure I withstood all the hysterical

opposition. It was not a(n) ___________________________ act on my part to

introduce the bill -- I had put years of planning into my strategy, and no

______________________ shouted at me by a bunch of lobbyists would deter me.

READING CHECK

(the following check can be used to check your reading comprehension as well as your memory of the facts of the story)

True/False

1. _____ The four men in the boat are the correspondent, the captain, the first mate, and the oiler.

2.______ The men hope they will come to a lifesaving station or a house of refuge.

3.______ The oiler becomes very ill and is unable to row.

4.______ A shark attack the boat and overturns it.

5.______ the oiler pulls the correspondent to shore.

Got comments or questions?  See Mr. Jay Edwards or email him at:

SSHSCoach@midkan.net

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