The Open Boat Essay, Research Paper

The Open Boat, by Steven Crane, demonstrates fate vs. free will. In this narrative the characters are capable to contemplating how their destiny is being determined, nevertheless free will can non be dismissed as a subscriber to their state of affairs. The all right line between destiny and free will, if it exists, is difficult to specify.

There are many philosophical and spiritual arguments between the constructs of free will and destine. Free will is based on a belief that our hereafter is based on the determinations that we make today. Looking back over our life at where we are is a merchandise of our yesteryear.

Another position that is normally suggested is fate. Destiny can be considered your fate, what you are traveling to go. It is a preset hereafter. The universe can be looked at like it is a elephantine drama and everyone is here to merely move out their portion and so decease.

There are many statements that can be used to sign both of these political orientations. A individual being born into poorness in the in-between metropolis, in most instances, has certain restrictions placed on his hereafter. They will non hold the same chances that many of have such as a good instruction, strong moralss and household upbringing. That a individual is non able to make up one’s mind his hereafter, but it has already been chosen for him. The thought of free will can reason that “ in most instances ” , in the above statement, is a cardinal. There are people who have developed really successfully out of these urban countries to

( 1 )

accomplish great things and turn outing that a individuals free will make up one’s mind at that place future.

In The Open Boat naturalism comes into drama as, one time once more, worlds are shown undistinguished to the forces of their universe. As their first effort at acquiring to shore fails they begin to experience they are non traveling to do it. They are inquiring why destiny has allowed them to come so close before their lives are taken, “ If one am traveling to be drowned & # 8211 ; if I am traveling to be drowned & # 8211 ; if I am traveling to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven huffy Gods who rule the sea was I allowed to come this far and contemplate the sand and the trees? ” ( pg.131 )

Was it their destiny to be given the gleam of freedom merely to hold it yanked off from them by the ultimate penalty of decease? “ Was I brought here simply to hold my nose dragged off as I was approximately to nibble the sacred cheese of life? ” ( pg. 131 ) Could this hold merely been irony as they struggle to salvage their lives and at the last possible minute are denied? Why were they left on the droping ship? Did they make picks which necessarily lead to their ruin or was this their destiny?

They may hold been merely sailing along peacefully when the boat sprang a leak. Possibly the boat was sabotaged or it was human mistake that caused the boat to drop. Be it their free will to acquire on the boat or was it thei

R destiny?

The work forces may hold been forced to be on the ship for economic or

( 2 )

related grounds. To a certain extent free will can be justified, nevertheless there is a certain point to which a individual has no pick to how he must move. This could be considered destiny, what he was intended to make. “ It is absurd. If this old adult females, Fate, can non make better than this, she should be deprived the direction of work forces? s lucks. ” This statement makes it look that the work forces were non out at that place under their free will. Possibly though, the sinking of the boat wasn? t their pick and acquiring on it was.

“ No head unused to the sea would hold concluded that the dory could go up these sheer highs in clip. ” ( pg.132 ) It was obvious that they would ne’er do it back to shore. After the initial effort they decided that they should head back out to sea. This could be considered free pick. They made the determination to turn around and most likely save their lives for the interim. Was this merely purchasing them some clip? Were they traveling to decease anyhow? This could be what they were supposed to make. They weren? T destined to all decease out on the sea. How can you state if it was their pick or if it was destiny that turned them back out to the unfastened H2O.

The leitmotiv, “ If I am traveling to be drowned & # 8211 ; if I am traveling to be drowned & # 8211 ; if I am traveling to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven huffy Gods who rule the sea, was I allowed to come this far and see and contemplate sand and trees. ” is the chief position of the four crewmans throughout the narrative.

( 3 )

It is difficult to find whether these characters were capable to destine or liberate will throughout their escapade. Is at that place a barrier that separates free will from destiny or are their boundaries undefined? From the grounds given at that place seems to be a certain subject presented that shows the two coexist in unison with one another.

A certain event might go on more by destiny than free will such as walking down the street and happening a 100 dollar measure on the land. It can still be claimed that there was some free will involved in the incident, whether it was make up one’s minding to walk down that street or even acquiring out of bed that forenoon.

The same type of statement can besides be used to turn out that free will is non by itself. It must be left up to the person to find how they want to populate their lives. They can make up one’s mind that no affair what they do they will stop up the same manner because their life has already been determined. They truly have no pick in what will go of them. That individual can so discontinue work or school and sit about because his life will be the same either manner.

Some may state that it was his free will to give up and drop into the deepness? s of society, but possibly it was his fate.

( 4 )