The Open Boat
The open boat is a short story written by Stephen Crane that was first published in 1897 and is based on his experience escaping a shipwreck off the coast of Florida. The incidents happened earlier that year when he was on his way to Cuba to interview for a job as a newspaper reporter. He was trapped at sea for almost thirty-four hours after his ship sank after colliding with a sandbar.
Structure of the Novel
There are seven parts to the novel. Each segment is told from the author's point of view. The first segment primarily introduces the four protagonists. A condescending observer who appears to be detached from the rest of the group is the correspondent; the captain, injured and disappointed for having lost his boat. Despite going through the adversities, he still portrayed capabilities of leadership and added a comical character to the book. The cook is described as fat but optimistic will be rescued and the oiler was the strongest physically (Crane, 96).
The sections that follow after the description of the moods and emotions experienced by the characters as they fluctuated from desperation and anger at their current state to the development of empathy after they realized that nature was quite indifferent to their fates. Despite the men becoming fatigued and less tolerant with each other as they bickered, both the correspondent and oiler took turns in rowing the boat as the cook bails water from the boat to ensure they remain afloat. Their hopes withered further after seeing a man waving from the other side of the shore at what might have been another boat however, they failed to make contact.
The final chapter starts with the men making a resolution to abandon the boat they have occupied for nearly thirty hours and swim to shore. After successfully reaching the beach they meet up with a group of rescuers but find the oiler dead his body washed up on the beach. The author incorporates the principle of detachment and objectivity as applied to the different characters in the book.
Babylon Revisited
Babylon revisited is a short story written by F. Scott Fitzgerald published in1931. It was published a year after the crash of the stock exchange market, has several references to the great depression and how the writer had to adapt to the current state of affairs to survive. It is split into five sections. The story begins with Charlie Wales sitting at a bar in Paris having a conversation with the bar attendant (Fitzgerald, 27).
The character spent most of his earlier twenties partying and drinking seeming not to have a single care in the world. Currently, Charlie’s world view is different he is no longer attracted by the extravagant lifestyle he once lived. This lifestyle saw him lose all his money and he is now in Paris trying to reclaim his rights as a father to his daughter who is currently leaving with his aunt in Prague. However, his attempt did not bear much fruit s Marion refused him to take back his daughter as she felt he is not done with his drunken old ways. He feels trapped and continuously thinks about how long it will take for Marion to stop punishing him for his previous mistakes and lifestyle. He is certain that his wife would not want him to be alone but with his daughter.
The theme of the story is of time and the inevitability of the resurfacing of past mistakes. Since he cannot cope with the aftershock from the crashing of the stock market, he tries to make up for the lost time during his daughter’s childhood by trying to prove his sobriety. He acknowledges his previous mistakes being the reason as to why he lost his daughter and his constant longing to have her in his life bring about the haunting of previous mistakes.
Common Themes
Both books implore a common theme of alienation and dislocation. The book ‘open boat’ scrutinizes man’s position who currently appears to be isolated not only from God but also society. With much emphasis being put on the struggle between nature and man, this can be seen as the charters opinion of the sea changed from hostile force against them to ambivalent. We can see the correspondent rethinking his views on the hostility of nature. While the latter experiences alienation after the death of his wife and eventually his daughter. The character explains feeling an overwhelming sense of loneliness. Following the crash of the stock market and the great depression, he is faced with the consequences of his foolish acts in his twenties. However, this motivates him to win his daughter’s custody to ease his solitude pain.
They convey a feeling of loneliness that comes to people after the realization that they alone in the universe. Underneath the human collective rants at both the universe and fate, is the fear of nothingness. There is an egotistical belief that they should play a major role in the universe and that their existence should have a meaning. After the realization that fate is not in play as they had hoped, the characters fall into a state of despair. Despair is a common phenomenon shown in modern man society. Immediately one has been dispositional from his rightful place in the universe. They fear that they might perish without establishing a true connection to what gives him a sense of his true self.
Work Cited
Crane, Stephan. The Open Boat and Other Stories. 1966.
Fitzgerald, Scott F. Babylon Revisited . 1931.
