The Unbreakable Bond

Mary Kate Ryser-Oatman

Journal #12

Stephen Crane, "The Open Boat"

February 13, 2009

"It would be difficult to describe the subtle brotherhood of men that was here established on the seas...But it dwelt in the boat, and each man felt it warm him. They were a captain, an oiler, a cook, and a correspondent, and they were friends" (Crane 1004).

Crane is describing how the relationships with all of the men on the boat. Their bond is strong, even when they are from different backgrounds.

The men on the boat all became friends during this dire situation in their lives. They all have different social ranks; the captain being the commander of the boat, the correspondent being a writer and most likely middle class, the cook being from lower status as well al the oiler, who stays on the part of the ship where no one usually goes. In a normal society, these men would not be friends. On the boat, the four of them are all they have. They might not have that much in common when they are on land, but on the sea, they all find common ground; they are trapped on a boat in the ocean with their hope for a safe return to land fading fast. They do not know if and when they are going to die, and all of them are in situations they did not expect. When a person is about to die, they want to be near family members. The four of them have become brothers of the sea.

This passage reminded me of The Breakfast Club, where high school students from all walks of life are sent to detention on a Saturday. The students all have different personalities that would never normally mix; a popular girl, a nerd, a rebel, a jock and an outcast. These five students would never be friends outside of detention let alone talk to each other. They ban together to outsmart their principal and find out that they have a lot more in common than they thought.

The men on the boat had to ban together to save their lives. Their brotherhood can be seen anywhere, but I really think that it can be seen in the military the most. Every day, men and women put their lives on the line to help protect their fellow soldiers. I can not even imagine having to be in a situation like that, or the situation with the men on the boat. Their bond is unexplainable, and it can only be understood by those who share it.

Growing up, Stephen Crane seemed to be lacking the kind of brotherhood he experienced on the ship with the three other men. According to Wikipedia, there was quite a difference in age between Crane and his brothers, and he lived with them after his father died, "She left Stephen in the care of his brother Edmund...He then lived with his brother William in Port Jervis for several years, until he and his sister Helen moved to Asbury Park to be with their brother Townley and his wife." Considering that Crane was a young child when his father died, his brothers had to have been at least eighteen if he were to go live with them. I can assume that they acted more like fathers than brothers towards him, so I do not think he experienced real brotherhood until the shipwreck. He must have realized then how important and rare this bond is, and how it really brings people together.