Literary Devices in The Open Boat

The oiler’s having drowned is an example of situational irony. He has been consistently described as the strongest of the men in the boat, and after the boat was swamped, the oiler was swimming “strongly and rapidly” ahead of the others. The oiler’s drowning is the opposite of what readers would expect to happen to him.

The “halo” that appears “about his head” may be interpreted literally as an illusion created by the spray as he bounds through the water; it could also be interpreted as the correspondent’s vision of him as he comes to the correspondent’s rescue. Describing the rescuer with a fitting simile as having “shone like a saint” also suggests how he appeared to the correspondent.

The man on shore, who has shed his clothing before plunging into the water to save the men thrown from the boat, is described with a simile comparing him to a “tree in winter,” which would be “naked” from having lost its leaves.

The repetition of the sentence emphasizes the correspondent’s difficulty in imagining or accepting his own death. In the context of the story and its themes of naturalism, his response to the possibility of his own death has universal meaning.

“Brittany” and “Algiers” refer respectively to a region in France and a city in Algeria. The correspondent’s impression of the shore is described with a simile; he views the “picture” before him like someone looking at a painting in an art gallery. The simile suggests a certain emotional detachment while being caught in a current prevents him from reaching the shore.

The shore, as seen from the correspondent’s physical point of view, is described with a simile as being “spread like a picture before him.” Through the simile, readers can see the picture he sees.

Situational irony is created when the outcome of a situation or event is the opposite of what one would reasonably expect to happen. The correspondent’s response when flung into the sea is an example of situational irony. His first thought concerns the temperature of the water off the Florida coast, not an immediate response one would reasonably expect him to have in his situation.

The “tower” refers to the “tall white windmill” rising above the cottages; it is described with a direct metaphor as a “giant.” It is also personified as “standing with its back to the plight of the ants.” The word “plight” means a dangerous or difficult situation, suggesting that “ants” is a metaphorical description of the men struggling in the boat, who appear to be quite small in the distance.

“Carmine” is a dark red color with a purple undertone. The passage employs visual imagery in describing the sunrise and then the morning that follows. The number of days and nights the men spend on the sea is catalogued through sunsets and sunrises.

His teeth are personified as playing popular “airs” or songs, meaning that his teeth are chattering because he is so cold.

Animal imagery is employed again in describing the violence of the sea with a simile. A sudden wave driven by strong wind “raged out like a mountain-cat.” The simile suggests the continuous dynamic nature of the sea and its unexpected, dangerous power.

The passage is repeated for a final time in the story, leading to a negation of the belief it expresses: that a human’s fate is determined by some force in the universe that recognizes the existence of humankind.

“Whiroo” is auditory imagery that refers to the sound of the shark’s fin moving through the ocean. The shark’s fin, and therefore the shark, is described with a simile as cutting through the water “like a gigantic and keen projectile.” The simile suggests the great size and speed of the shark.

The correspondent’s seeing “an enormous fin” indicates that a shark is next to the boat. The shark’s fin is described with a simile as speeding “like a shadow through the water.”

In context, “phosphorescence” refers to a glow or soft light emitted in the dark. The “gleaming trail” of light is described with a simile comparing it to a “blue flame.”

“Sea-water couch” is an implied metaphor for the floor of the boat, covered in ocean water, where the men sleep.

The gold light in the south and the “bluish gleam” on the northern horizon are described with a direct metaphor as “the furniture of the world.” The metaphor emphasizes the vast emptiness of the ocean where the men in their small boat struggle alone to survive.

The words in the passage are unified and underscored through the alliteration of the “S” sound in “swept,” “sinister,” “silence,” “save,” and “subdued.” The sibilance is soft, in keeping with the sound of the waves marked by “silence” and the “subdued” sound of a cresting wave. The immediate alliteration in “sinister silence” emphasizes that the waves are deadly even when they sweep silently toward the boat.

The repetition of the previous passage underscores its significance in expressing the men’s thinking about their relationship to an all-powerful force in the universe that they believe controls their fate.

Repeated for the third time in this section of the text, the line serves as a type of refrain that expresses the men’s dwindling hopes of rescue.

The boat is described with an indirect metaphor comparing it to a “wild colt,” meaning a young horse that has not been broken to ride. The metaphor suggests the extreme, violent rising and falling of the boat maneuvering over the waves. The men, who have become more adept at balancing the boat, are described with a simile that complements the metaphor. They “rode” the “wild colt”—the boat—“like circus men,” a reference to rodeo performers.

The sound of the surf breaking on the shore is described with an indirect metaphor comparing it to “low thunder.” The sound is “low” rather than loud because they are still some distance from land.

The lighthouse is again described with a simile, this time looking like “a little gray shadow on the sky,” instead of “the point of a pin,” indicating that the men are now closer to the lighthouse.

The lighthouse on the horizon is described with a simile comparing it to “the point of a pin.” In suggesting how small the lighthouse appears to the correspondent, the simile also suggests that it is very far away from the men in the boat.

Clumps of sea weed floating on the surface of the ocean are described with an indirect metaphor as “brown mats” and with a simile as being “like islands.” Descriptive details throughout the story are framed from the men’s point of view, establishing how their surroundings appeared to them.

As the gulls come close to the men in the boat, they are no longer appealing. Their eyes are described with a simile as looking like black beads; the term “beady eyes” refers to eyes that gleam with malice or evil intent. “Scrutiny” means a searching examination or close watch. In coming close to study the men, the gulls are “uncanny” and “sinister.” They are “uncanny,” meaning that they seem eerie and mysterious; they are “sinister” in that they seem hostile and menacing. The disturbing description of the gulls contributes to the story’s mood of danger and suspense.

The men in the boat are described with an indirect metaphor as the captain’s “children.” The metaphor suggests the captain’s responsibility and concern for his crew and their dependence on him in their dangerous situation.

The crest of each wave is described with a direct metaphor comparing it to a hill. Each wave carries the boat to the crest or top of the wave before it plunges down the other side. The metaphor emphasizes the great height of each wave.

The alliteration of the “S” sound in “stern,” “spray,” and “slashed” creates sibilance, or a hissing sound, that suggests the sound of the spray moving past them. The word “slashed" with its connotations of a violent attack further emphasizes the dangerous nature of the waves breaking over the boat.

“Foam,” the water that cascades onto the surface of the sea as a wave breaks, is described with a simile comparing it to “tumbling snow.” The whiteness of the foam contrasts with the other colors of the sea—slate, emerald-green, and amber—creating vivid visual imagery in the passage.

The physical point of view shifts momentarily in describing the scene as it would have appeared to someone on a balcony looking down at it. “Picturesque” refers to a type of landscape that is artistically appealing; it is beautiful but also features some elements of wildness. Painting picturesque landscapes was popular in the 1700s.

The alliteration or repetition of the “S” sound at the beginning of “silence,” “save,” and “snarling” emphasizes each of the words in the passage and unites them in describing the waves. An example of auditory imagery, the passage contrasts the “silence” of the waves as they approach the boat with a “snarling” sound as they crest. The word “snarling” is associated with feelings of rage, thus personifying the breaking waves as being intentionally violent.

A metaphor is a figure of speech that describes one thing by directly stating or by indirectly implying that it is something else. Each ocean wave that came at the dinghy is described with an indirect metaphor comparing it to a “wall of water.” The metaphor emphasizes the great height and strength of each wave.

A simile is a figure of speech that describes one thing by saying it is “like” or “as” another thing. (“Not unlike” means “like.”) Here, the boat is described with a series of similes comparing it to a “bucking bronco,” an animal that “pranced and reared,” and a horse jumping an “outrageously high” fence. The similes suggest the violent, heaving motion of the boat as it is assaulted by the waves.

The description of the horizon establishes the setting and physical point of view in the story; the horizon is described as it appears to the men as they look at it from their position at sea. The horizon’s appearing to narrow, widen, dip, and rise suggests that the men are being tossed about by the waves.