Even the correspondent, who is skeptical of others, feels deeply connected to these men. All the men feel unwavering respect for the captain, whose orders they obey without question. The four men are like brothers, bound together by the extraordinary experience of being lost at sea. The captain says the men are bound to make it to shore as long as the wind stays in their favor and the boat doesn’t collect too much water. When he finally sees the lighthouse, it’s no bigger than a needle’s point. The correspondent, busy at the oars, longs to turn his head to search the horizon for the lighthouse but can’t take his eyes off of the approaching waves. The captain notices the Mosquito Inlet lighthouse in the distance. Likewise, when the correspondent and the oiler take turns rowing, they must take care not to rock the boat as they switch places. When a sea gull lands on the captain’s head, the captain can’t even swat it away for fear of tipping the boat. However, it’s uncomfortable being packed into such a small lifeboat. They are hesitant to voice their optimism, but most of them feel hopeful that they will be rescued soon. The men are glad for the onshore wind that pushes them closer to shore.
The oiler grumbles that they aren’t there yet, so it’s not worth arguing about. After arguing back-and-forth, the cook supposes that it could be a life-saving station after all, but regardless, there is a crew who will see and save them. Life-saving stations, however, have both. The correspondent corrects him, noting that houses of refuge don’t have crews-just emergency supplies. The cook asserts that they are nearing the Mosquito Inlet lighthouse, which also has a house of refuge, so the men will surely be seen and saved quickly. The tiny lifeboat struggles to climb the massive waves, and each crest feels like it will be the one to capsize the boat.Īs the sun rises (visible only in the sea’s changing colors, not in the grey skies), the correspondent and the cook argue. As the cook bails out the boat, the injured captain gives orders, and the correspondent and the oiler, named Billie, take turns rowing. The four shipwreck survivors are the captain of the now-sunken Commodore, the cook, the correspondent, and the oiler. “The Open Boat” opens with four men crammed into a bathtub-sized lifeboat on the violent, steel-grey sea off of the coast of Florida.
0 kommentar(er)
