In both of these stories, The Open Boat and The Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane uses the theme of companionship. The way in which he uses this theme differs in some ways but are also comparable in both stories. In both stories, it is evident that the men all need each other, both mentally and physically. Without one another, it would be inevitable that each and every one of the characters would not have been able to move on and survive without one another. Another similarity between both stories is that an act of nature is what really brings the men together. Yet, another similarity is the fact that in both stories, the men think of themselves throughout the massive ordeals. In The Open Boat, each man wonders to himself, why me, why now? Similarly, in The Red Badge of Courage, Henry feels compelled to believe that he will run cowardly during battle and try to escape death, of which he was terribly afraid. It is evident that in both cases, there is a moment of self-discovery where all characters are forced to take a step back from all the commotion and gather themselves in order for each of them to surviv

However, the idea that each of these men thought about themselves and how each of them were going to live, this idea of comradeship is questioned. Each of these men began to question the sea, Mother Nature, and each other. "The whole affair is absurd... But no, she cannot mean to drown me. Not after all of this work"(Maggie 35). The anger built up over this frequently asked question seemed to take it's toll on the morale of each of the men. The selfishness of each of the men is seen in the past quotation; the idea of the men thinking of "me". Again, it is not until such an act of nature to bring about the theme of companionship amongst these men. It is not until after each of the men, respectively, asked that same question that they realize that they must work together in order to survive. This is the same exact type of situation that occurs in Red Badge in which only an act of nature can bring about such a change of heart.

Stallman, R.W. Stephen Crane A Biography. George

Some common words found in the essay are:
Henry Fleming, Red Badge, Fleming Wilson, Correspondent Cook, Badge Courage, Confederate Army, Mother Nature, Stephen Crane, Courage Henry, Crane's Boat, red badge, red badge courage, badge courage, act nature, henry fleming, henry feels, crane stephen, battle henry, fellow soldiers, theme companionship, realize importance, boat red badge, act nature bring,
Approximate Word count = 3521
Approximate Pages = 14 (250 words per page double spaced)