Free Will vs. Fate in the Open Boat by Stephen Crane

The Open Boat, by Steven Crane, demonstrates fate vs. free will. In this story the characters are subject to contemplating how their fate is being determined, however free will cannot be dismissed as a contributor to their situation. The fine line between fate and free will, if it exists, is hard to define. There are many philosophical and religious debates between the concepts of free will and fate. Free will is based on a belief …

…matter what they do they will end up the same way because their life has already been determined. They really have no choice in what will become of them. That person can then quit work or school and sit around because his life will be the same either way. Some may say that it was his free will to give up and sink into the depth’s of society, but maybe it was his destiny. (4)