Stephen Crane:"The Open Boat" and "Blue Hotel" Book Review by Nicky

This paper examines the argument that the frequent characterization of the story and Crane's career as a whole as exemplary of American naturalism or realism has clouded a more nuanced view of "The Open Boat."The paper also discusses how, iIn contrast to his novels, such as the novella The Blue Hotel, "The Open Boat" has a deliberately symbolic, fable-like, almost fairy tale-like style and how, even the idea that it is about 'four men in a tub' undercuts the realism of many of the descriptions of the natural world. In contrast, the paper looks at how in "The Blue Hotel", the characters are buffeted by nature, rather than individuals who make poor choices who bring their fates upon them and how the fable-like quality is further underlined--the men have no choice but to resist the sea or die, they do not seek out their own demise.