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In “The Open Boat”, by Stephen Crane, the four men’s journey through the ocean represents a broader perspective at life as a whole. All throughout the story, several different themes are portrayed in the text. In order to assist the reader in understanding the concept of these main ideas, literary devices like personification, sometimes in the form of metaphors, are used.
One of the major aspects of utilizing personification is that the device gives life to the setting of the story. Personification creates a real-life experience from a relatively fictional account. With the use of these descriptions, the readers are brought to sight to the scene of action and are allowed to experience the occurrences of the plot for themselves. From the craft that “pranced and reared” (7) to the waves that “paced to and fro” (last paragraph), personification was applied to demonstrate the movement of the ocean engulfing them with its many creations. Along with the setting, the device allows the reader a glimpse into the minds of the four characters within the boat themselves. According to how their surroundings are illustrated, the reader can comprehend the feelings and moods of the refugees towards their impending, looming destiny. All in all, personification expresses the emotions of the people in the story while having the location come to life all around them.
Another important aspect of the usage of personification is the interpretation of the happenings and the true reality behind them that is so craftily concealed behind the veil that imagination produces. For example, although the scene that the men found themselves in might seem “probably splendid....glorious” (14), the thru fate destined for them is anything but those adjectives used to describe.

Work Cited:
• “Themes and Construction: ‘The Open Boat’.” EXPLORING Short Stories. Detroit: Gale, 2003. Student Resource Center – Gold. Gale. COPPELL HIGH SCHOOL. 16 Jan. 2008
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