Nature in Stephen Crane's The Open Boat

There are more characters than just the captain, the correspondent, the oiler and the cook in Stephen Crane's The Open Boat. There is a fifth character: nature. Nature can be seen as the main character in the story as it is constantly affecting the four men in the boat and is ever-present throughout their ordeal. Many different views of nature are expressed in this work: nature as the causal agent of the entire trial, as …

…increased. In conclusion, The Open Boat portrays nature as a main character in the story. Many devices are used to culminate this interpretation. Through the many descriptions of nature as a causation of the action and as a constant force, it is easily interpreted as a primary persona in the story. The attitude and indifference of nature, as expressed by the sailors, greatly aids in developing nature as a crucial character in the short story.