allegorical figures Essay

Imagine that you are stranded in the ocean during a storm, with little to no hope for survival. Stephen Crane wrote about something like this in his short story ?The Open Boat?. ?The Open Boat? was a realist text. That means that the characters in the story had human traits and faced real-life situations. In the short story ?The Open Boat,? Stephen Crane uses the allegorical figures of the wind tower, the light, and the ocean to represent the theme natures indifference to man.
In the short story, one of the allegorical figures is the wind tower. At this point in the story, the men are starting to lose hope and are exhausted. The wind tower ?represented the serenity of nature? in the story. ?This tower?represented?the serenity of nature amid the struggles of the individual-nature in the wind, and the nature in the vision of men. She did not seem cruel to him then, nor beneficent, nor treacherous, nor wise?she was indifferent, flatly indifferent? (517). The quote is stating that amid the violent conditions, the wind tower is peaceful. It relates to the original argument natures indifference to man because it shows how something in nature can be calm when conditions are tough. This quote proves that even if you are in a difficult position, you can always find something peaceful.
Another allegorical figure in the story is the light. At this point in the story, the men are loosing hope and are extremely anxious to get on land. The light ?still glimmered? but the men are loosing hope of getting on land. ?The light in the north still glimmered, but it was apparently no nearer to the boat? (516). This quote is stating that as the men continue to move, the light is moving farther and farther away. It relates to the original argument because it proves that the power of nature is always stronger than man. This quote proves that you should not loose hope of what you are trying to achieve even if it seems so distant.
The last example of an allegorical figure in the story is the ocean. The ocean is a major symbol in the text. At this point in the story, the men have just been thrown off of the steamboat and are now in the dinghy. Crane personifies the ocean. For example, he writes: ?As each wave came, and she rose for it, she seemed like a horse making at a fence outrageously high? (505). The quote is stating that the waves were enormous. This relates to the original argument because it further proves that nature will always overpower man. This quote is a great example of how nature is one of the strongest things on Earth.
In the short story ?The Open Boat,? Stephen Crane uses the allegorical figures of the wind tower, the light, and the ocean to represent the theme natures indifference to man. It is stated in the story that the wind tower represents the serenity of nature. The light represents loss of hope. The ocean represents the power of nature. It is important to think about the argument because the theme natures indifference to man is shown many time through allegorical figures in the text and is a major theme.

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