"but the captain waved him away, and sent him to the correspondent...."See in text(The Open Boat)
The captain places the welfare of the correspondent over his own safety. His action in waving away help for himself is consistent with his character throughout the story.
"He was sorry for the soldier of the Legion who lay dying in Algiers...."See in text(The Open Boat)
A thematic parallel is drawn between the correspondent and the dying soldier in the poem. Realizing that his own death is of no consequence in the universe, the correspondent now pities the dying soldier. When he first heard the poem, the correspondent had been unaffected by the soldier’s suffering; now he identifies with the soldier.
"“Will you spell me for a little while?” he said, meekly.
“Sure, Billie,” said the correspondent..."See in text(The Open Boat)
The passage is an example of characterization; the characters of the oiler and the correspondent are developed through what they say and do. The oiler continues to row, despite being overwhelmed by the need to sleep, and when he asks the correspondent to relieve him, he asks “meekly,” in a quiet and gentle manner. The correspondent , despite his own exhaustion, responds at once, “Sure, Billie,” and takes his place at the oars without hesitation. Billie and the correspondent are thus characterized as being responsible and unselfish in their concern for each other.
