Critical Essay Sample on The Open Boat: Nature's Inevitable Reign Over Human Destiny

Paper Type:  Essay
Pages:  5
Wordcount:  1180 Words
Date:  2023-01-31

The works in the American Literature show a connection between human and nature conflicts. The writers use symbolic themes that portray the same idea to the readers how people cannot choose their destiny. Nature dictates peoples' outcome, but it cannot be controlled. For instance, certain and uncertainty can still refer to humans and nature. People are predictable, while nature cannot be determined. The literacy work by Stephen Crane, "The Open Boat" is a representation of two opposing forces in the society. Human beings engage in activities that attempt to defy the rules of nature, but at all-time nature takes control of them at all time. The author tells a tale of men stuck in sinking steamer on war with the sea storm. They try to battle every wave, but in the end, their voyage is determined by the ocean tides. The work of Kate Chopin on "Desiree's Baby" is a narration of how someone's skin color identity can have opposing views from society. It portrays a similar theme of how human beings cannot easily avoid doom. In literacy work, I am going to demonstrate how the two writers portrayed the result of conflicting societal events and expectations.

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The essay will focus on what was portrayed in "The Open Boat" in the first section and then analyze similar accounts in "Desiree's Baby" in establishing the constructing constituents of the American society. The American people are working people to achieve economical independence that sustains its citizen to financial freedom. In relation to Crane (1049), narrates the advantage of the sea being that when sailors beat a tide, there is a stronger one ahead that can sink the boat to the bottom sea. It is always about survival to endure the next challenge on the testing radar. The ship is a representation of the United States voyaging in the sea, the opposing waves being the economic, political, and social challenges on the way to success. This factors may be natural, for instance, the wildfires that destroy large portions of land within the United States. The symbolic use of the boat and the sea can be understood on many angles; therefore, this is the societal representation I deducted.

Crane, in the passage, used expressions that provoke the readers' mind to make meaning out of the wording. "By the very last star of the truth, it is easier to steal eggs from under a hen than it was to change seats in the dingy," Cranes (1051). Still referring to the United States as the boat, the challenges it underwent to achieve freedom prehistorically are displayed by the writer in the expression. The citizens enjoy the freedom that took a lot of efforts to gain from its fore tormenters. The encounters within society are not easy to endure. The idea of perseverance is what emanates from this particular narration by Cranes. Relating it to the theme of discussion, fate can put people through a lot of suffering which they have to grit on to be successful.

"The Boat" narrates to the reader that no matter what trials an individual is going through, someone has suffered the same experience before. "The ominous slash of the wind and the water affected them as it would have affected mummies," Cranes (1061). The occurrences that happen in the society are not original by nature. The statement indicates that the effect of the winds as presented, influence the sailors at it will have done to mummies. Therefore to every challenging social situation, there is always a reference victim that have already tested how deep the issue is enticing. Denoting back to nature, it treats all human as equals without discrimination of any sort. For instance, if an earthquake cuts through a place, the deaths will not be profiled but instead accidental.

The passage by Crane concludes by showing how the sailors endured the difficulties in the sea and survived for another task. When there is a conflicting situation involving men and their environment, the damages are on people, but nature remains untouched. The voyagers were rescued ashore, "and the wind brought the sound of the great sea's voice to the men onshore," Cranes (1064). Indicators of nature like thunder strikes will always be present in human beings to remind them of who is in control. For instance, when clouds form, and it is going to rain, people will run to find shelter.

The second part of the essay analyzes Kate Chopin's "Desiree's Baby" passage in raising the opposing conflicts within American society. The central theme in the book as I comprehend it is racism, which has many views among people in the United States. Historically, racial subjection dates back to the era of slavery. The victims of subjugation are the black American with African origin. Kate Chopin was a daughter to an American citizen of a different identity. She narrates the American culture that subjects immigrants through racial discrimination. Since the skin color is natural, American have to cope and live with it in society.

Chopin demonstrates that desires are natural and cannot be inhibited from inside by people. The aspiration to love is like an inside force that attracts an individual onto another person, and nothing can stop individuals from expressing it. Mentioning Desiree as a girl with no name and of obscure origin, Armand did not care and still loved her, Chopin (539). The American has evolved from a society where black people had no identity to the extent of lacking assigned to them as people. The fact remains that they are people of whom one can be attracted to romantically. Desires are uncontrolled phenomena that made Armband to fall in love with a girl with unknown identity.

Racial profiling cannot be based on the physical appearance of a person but the gene composition. For instance, a woman might have the features of a white person and then give birth to a baby whose appearance is of African American origin. Desiree was a woman whose physicality portrays her to be white, but when she gave birth to a child of African origin, it revealed her true identity, Chopin (541). Her true identity brought conflicts into her family, especially with the husband, who was not sure if he still loved her. From the account, I can suggest that Desiree's identity was natural in her despite her looks and nature decided to reveal her true origin through the baby she gave birth to with a husband of white origin.

Reviewing the American literacy work by both Cranes and Chopin, they both narrate the conflicts human beings through when they compete with nature. For instance whether a person is of African or white origin, that is whom they are, and nothing can be done to change it. The American Literatures have sensitized United States citizen to abort racial profiling from society since no one can change their origin. It is the same as competing with nature, as long as one wants to row through the sea the tides will keep building as a reminder to people that nature is in control; hence they have to endure to survive.

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Critical Essay Sample on The Open Boat: Nature's Inevitable Reign Over Human Destiny. (2023, Jan 31). Retrieved from https://proessays.net/essays/critical-essay-sample-on-the-open-boat-natures-inevitable-reign-over-human-destiny

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