Thursday, February 22, 2007
Stephen Crane II
Katja
ENGL 48 B
Journal # 23, Crane II
22 February, 2007
"When it came night the white waves paced to and fro in the moonlight, and the wind brought the sound of the great sea’s voice to the men on the shore, and they felt that they could then be interpreters." (Stephen Crane 919)
This quote forms the conclusion to Crane’s The Open Boat. The men have been rescued and more have survived than perished.
I think this quote relates to Crane’s idea that Nature is "indifferent" (917). Here, Nature has had its go at toying with a few insignificant bits of humankind in a boat. The experience has been of no importance to the prevailing state of Nature, however it has left indelible marks on the four men.
The journey appears as a rite of passage, turning naive, simplistic males into knowing, intuitive men. Interestingly Crane treats the experience as a group event. Collectively, the four men share the adventure as well as its ramifications forever more, bound, as Crane writes, in "subtle brotherhood" (907). Their bond seems almost a secret; a ritual of male bonding that shall remain eternally private. What they experienced and can now interpret, does not appear allowable for common ears. The men appear not so much as Nature’s mouthpieces, but more guardians of its fickleness.
The restless ocean, "[pacing] to and fro" (919), has bargained with humanity and claimed its prize, the oiler, yet remains unappeased, the expected result of indifference. The one life cannot be enough, as no amount of sacrifice can ever be enough to break the tension between man and Nature. The spill of the three remaining lives on the shore is almost an afterthought, and the reader can only venture to guess the future destinies of the men.
The men’s new identities as "interpreters" (919) seem more significant than their old professional labels, and gives each character more depth and value, even if the reader does not get to know the men at all in this capacity. If there is a lesson here, it may be to embrace more fully a spectrum of experiences and invite them into one’s life to give it dimension beyond one’s superficial societal identity.
ENGL 48 B
Journal # 23, Crane II
22 February, 2007
"When it came night the white waves paced to and fro in the moonlight, and the wind brought the sound of the great sea’s voice to the men on the shore, and they felt that they could then be interpreters." (Stephen Crane 919)
This quote forms the conclusion to Crane’s The Open Boat. The men have been rescued and more have survived than perished.
I think this quote relates to Crane’s idea that Nature is "indifferent" (917). Here, Nature has had its go at toying with a few insignificant bits of humankind in a boat. The experience has been of no importance to the prevailing state of Nature, however it has left indelible marks on the four men.
The journey appears as a rite of passage, turning naive, simplistic males into knowing, intuitive men. Interestingly Crane treats the experience as a group event. Collectively, the four men share the adventure as well as its ramifications forever more, bound, as Crane writes, in "subtle brotherhood" (907). Their bond seems almost a secret; a ritual of male bonding that shall remain eternally private. What they experienced and can now interpret, does not appear allowable for common ears. The men appear not so much as Nature’s mouthpieces, but more guardians of its fickleness.
The restless ocean, "[pacing] to and fro" (919), has bargained with humanity and claimed its prize, the oiler, yet remains unappeased, the expected result of indifference. The one life cannot be enough, as no amount of sacrifice can ever be enough to break the tension between man and Nature. The spill of the three remaining lives on the shore is almost an afterthought, and the reader can only venture to guess the future destinies of the men.
The men’s new identities as "interpreters" (919) seem more significant than their old professional labels, and gives each character more depth and value, even if the reader does not get to know the men at all in this capacity. If there is a lesson here, it may be to embrace more fully a spectrum of experiences and invite them into one’s life to give it dimension beyond one’s superficial societal identity.
# posted by Katja @ 3:50 PM 
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Yeah, I like that...to "embrace more fully a spectrum of experiences and invite them into one’s life to give it dimension beyond one’s superficial societal identity." The ambiguity of Crane's stories is that he always incorporates tones and passages which tear down the ego of man to think they are so great, yet he does leave subtle hints of hope that there is something to learn from all of this. I guess it is not always one way or another.
-Michelle Romero www.michelleromero48b.blogspot.com
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-Michelle Romero www.michelleromero48b.blogspot.com
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