Character Sea Sketch Essay

Submitted By towi45
Words: 564
Pages: 3

Throughout Stephen Crane’s short story, “The Open Boat” the sea is personified with human characteristics. It’s almost as if, Crane wanted society to recognize the sea not as a pretty image, but as a ‘person’ upon who no one wants to anger. The sea is characterized as the horrible men of society, but these types of men help those who are lost within themselves and run into these men open their eyes and realize things about themselves and everything around them.
Not only was the sea personified with mental characteristics, but the following human characters described the see with physical characteristics, “These waves were most wrongfully and barbarously abrupt and tall,” (Crane). To the men the sea was a frightening killer, whom forced the men to have no control of their fate. Throughout the story, the sea almost seemed anxiously, aggressive, “A singular disadvantage of the sea lies in the fact that after successfully surmounting one wave you discover that there is another behind it just as important and just as nervously anxious to do something effective in the way of swamping boats” (Crane pg, line). Crane is practically describing the ocean as a bully, in a sense it’s partially true. Although viewed as neutral by naturalism authors, the sea was bullying the four men in the dingy. Anxious to attack them and make them both emotionally and physically weak. Waves splashing, waves roaring as the sea attacked the dingy; can also be interpreted to hands punching, epithets shouting as the bully attacked the small boy. “The surfs roar was here dulled, but its tone, nevertheless, thunderous and might” (Crane pg line). This show the respect men have for the sea. One respects fear-,this thunderous and mighty force-even though it may be dulled by the actions of man or circumstances man finds himself, but regardless, man is still at the mercy of the sea.
Most people will consider the sea as a horrible person, but doesn’t everyone have a horrendous side to them? The only difference between man and the sea is that the sea doesn’t care about the