The Open Boat Sparknotes

The Open Boat is a story about four men who were sea-wrecked on the coast of Florida and try to get to land using a lifeboat. The crew consists of a correspondent, a captain, a cook, and an oiler named Billy. They sail in their lifeboat and try to find land. They talk about things such as food and rescue stations, but they don't really talk about what they really feel in their mind, surviving. When the crew finally finds land, they cannot row because the strong current would probably tip the lifeboat before they are close enough to swim to shore or smash it against the rocky coast. Instead, they wait for a rescue crew to come and help them. During the wait, the men get very anxious and fear that they will drown out in the ocean. The crew has to spend the night and keep rowing enough that they do not get pulled back into the vast ocean, but enough that they don't get pulled in to shore by the strong current. The crew takes turns, waking another up to take his place. Everyone takes turns except the captain who is injured. Finally, the next day, the four men decide to try to row into shore since no help came. During the trip to the shore, the boat tips over due to the large waves and the crew are forced to swim. The swim is long, harsh, and dangerous because of the strong current. Because of these conditions, the oiler Billie could not make it to shore and drowned. The three others survive and made it to shore safely with the aid of a man who swam out to help them. …show more content…
The story kept me intrigued by the rough and dire situation. The Open Boat makes the reader want to find out if the crew will make it to safety or drown out in the ocean. Strong feelings of man versus nature is given in this story making the crew feel very small in the endless ocean they are stranded in. This enhances the feeling of survival and makes the situation feel more