One of Stephen Crane's best short stories was "The Open Boat". The main characters were the captain, the correspondent, the oiler, and the cook. These four men were forced to get into one dingy after there ship sank. All they had was one glass of water and four cigars. The weather was unbearable. The waves were crashing into the boat and it was pouring down rain. The weather was so bad that they had to scream conversations back and forth to each other. But even though they were screaming, still they could not understand each other. One of them had to paddle while the others scooped water out of the boat. Finally it calmed down and they started to see land in the distance. They started to celebrate, by smoking cigars and drinking the last of the water. Then the weather started up again, as they got closer they could see people on the land. They were screaming and yelling, but the people could

It was the oiler face down in the sand that was periodically, between each wave, clear of the sea. Unfortunately he did not make it. Instantly the beach was full of men with blankets, water, and flasks and women with coffee pots and every thing that was sacred to them. As it came night the waves paced and the wind brought the sound of the great sea's voice to the men and they felt that they could be interpreters.

Another attribute to the story is the insight that the third person narrator offers to the reader regarding the sailors\' state of mind. Particularly interesting, is the reference to the poem \"Bingen on the Rhine\". Until the correspondent must contemplate his own death on the cold and desolate seas, he does not realize the tragedy of a soldier of the legion dying in Algiers. Also, not only did he not realize the significance, he says that, \"it was less to him than the breaking of a pencil\'s point\". Again, towards the end of the story, the narrator describes the bitterness the correspondent feels towards nature when he realizes that after all his efforts he may not live to appreciate his being. Observations such as these are not encountered frequently until confronted with death and the conveyance of these thoughts is insightful and meaningful to the reader.

The only depreciative factor in the story is the length. The men\'s state of affairs carried too long. For superfl

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Unfortunately Instantly, Stephen Crane's, Jersey November, , towards shore, people hear, weather started,
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