“When night came, the white waves came and went in the moonlight, and the wind brought the sound of the voice of the great sea to the men on the shore, and they felt that 'they could then be interpreters' (Crane 370). “The Open Boat,” written by Stephen Crane, describes the journey of four men stranded in a canoe in the middle of the ocean and the difficulties they faced to survive. This story is not only captivating, keeping the readers in suspense, but it also makes the reader realize how precious life is. Sometimes people tend to take life like a grain of salt and don't realize that life can be taken away from them in the blink of an eye. As in “The Open Boat,” the crew members learned that they could not survive alone and that their only option was to work together as a team. We need to have the same perspective toward our daily lives when we, or someone we see, is struggling. The captain is a major character in the story, and his character holds the other members of the crew together to keep them motivated during times of distress. He was the captain of the original boat, but after the boat sank, he was injured and was unable to physically participate in keeping the canoe afloat. At first, the captain feels like he has lost his sense of direction because he is not used to letting others take charge. Without his sense of authority intact, he feels disconnected from the world and his mind is dismantled. However, since he was unable to contribute in the way he preferred, he led the way in giving specific instructions to the other characters in order to keep the canoe afloat. Each member of the boat follows his instructions. He commands very respectably. This...... middle of paper ...... ibing two different qualities that are used together in the same statement. In summary, “The Open Boat” is a very intriguing story that can not only be read for pure enjoyment, but there is also a moral to the story. No matter where a person comes from in life, whether they are the richest or the poorest person on the planet, they should always make sure to take care of someone and support them when they are in trouble . By caring for each other, as they did in "The Open Boat," they formed strong, everlasting friendships. If someone is wanted by someone else, that person will also make it a point to return the favor. Life is like the ocean. We may have our ups and downs, but life never changes. The only thing that will affect the outcome of our life is the perspective we put into our life..