The Perfect Storm Literary Analysis

Words: 740
Pages: 3

In the novel, The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger, men fight for their lives against the relentless power of the sea as their existence as they know it is consumed by the storm of a lifetime. Sebastian Junger opens the readers eyes to the coming age of travel in the life of a fisherman as well as the value of life and family; spending weeks on the sea traveling the ocean in search for fish while they hope they make it back home alive. These fishermen live their lives on the ocean because "the men don't know anything else once they do it; they love it and it takes over." Life as they know it will never be the same as the tranquil ocean takes a turn for the worst and destroys the lives of many. Fishermen spend most of their lives on …show more content…
Each fishermen brings their own unique qualities aboard and together they form a cohesive unit that allows the trip to run smoothly. One thing they all share in common is courage, despite the "misgivings about this trip they still go anyhow." All these men live the same lifestyle as well, "at sea for a month and then home celebrating for a week straight." This allows them to bond because they all understand the struggles each one is going through; missing their families yet forced to work because they are in need of some money. These men spend weeks together among close quarters; eating dinner, sleeping amongst one another and working together turning them into a family that values one another. Fishermen form a special relationship with one another out at sea that no one else could ever comprehend because life out on sea is a completely different universe. For example, David Sullivan, a last minute walk onto the Andrea Gail, "has known Bobby most of his life and without Bobby he probably wouldn't have taken the trip and now he worries for Bobby." Each crew member looks out for one another as if they are family and after their time at sea they truly become one. Even when off the boat, fishermen head over to the Crow's Nest and party until their next adventure together. Life out on the sea is a scary place but these men are not alone because