Impressionistic elements in "The Open Boat" can be found
in the sensations, emotions, mental
associations, and details brought to the forefront of
the story by way of the author's use of imagery.
The first
details that strike me are the "finely penned" descriptions of the waves. The
impressionist writers tend not to interpret as much as
convey details to the reader, so we are led
and left to learn how to appreciate the beauty and savagery of each wave as it
approaches the men in the boat.
The waves are compared to
'horses jumping over a fence' that is impossibly high. The waves toss the small boat
around (like a "bucking bronco") lifting it high into the air and then sliding it down
when the wave recedes--with a bump, and then the men notice another
approaching swell of water in the wake of the first one, and brace themselves again and
again.
The crests of the waves are described as "snarling;"
the foam is like "tumbling snow;" and, the color of the water changes from "slate to
emerald-green, streaked with amber lights." (The narrator notes that a preoccupation
with death distracts the men from being able to appreciate the beauty of the water, but
the reader gets the impression of a living
thing.)
Crane provides arresting descriptions of seaweed,
and the birds that follow the men. The "seaweed...rolled over the waves with a movement
like carpet in a gale." The birds sat in groups on the water, and the men in the boat
envied them. Upon the surface of the ever-moving water, "the wrath
of the sea was no more to them than it was to a covey of prairie chickens...miles
inland." The birds stared at the men with "black bead-like eyes." They wanted to shoo
the birds but needed to be careful so they did not to capsize the boat. The bird that
tries to land on the captain's head conveys a sense of the
ominous.
Again, the detail of sounds captures the reader's
imagination. "Finally a new sound struck the ears of the men in the boat. It was the
low thunder of the surf on the shore." Without interpretation, the
author brings to our ears not only the majesty of the water, but also the power and
death-threat contained in the sound.
The men describe Fate
as "an old ninny-woman" who should be "deprived of the management of men's fortunes" if
she would bring a man so close to safety only to let him
drown.
Other examples include "The wind had a voice as it
came over the waves, and it was sadder than the end."
And,
"There was a long, loud swishing astern of the boat, and a gleaming trail of
phosphorescence, like blue flame, was furrowed on the black waters. It might have been
made by a monstrous knife."
In all of these instances
imagery is the primary tool used to accomplish the impressionist's task: to bring images
to the reader's mind. This intent is specifically accomplished by the use of similes,
metaphors, and--in Crane's case--especially
personification.
Like a gifted teacher, Crane collects the
material for his student (using imagery) and presents it without telling his student
(the reader) what to think; he leaves the imagery to speak for itself. The reader
interprets and comes to his/her own conclusion to find personal meaning in the literary
piece. The language is evocative, vivid and mesmerizing, transporting the reader to a
seat in the boat, watching the sea, feeling the cold and isolation, and ultimately,
elation (as well as sorrow) as the survivors find their way to
shore.
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