There are more characters than just the captain, the correspondent, the oiler and the cook in Stephen Crane's The Open Boat. There is a fifth character: nature. Nature can be seen as the main character in the story as it is constantly affecting the four men in the boat and is ever-present throughout their ordeal. Many different views of nature are expressed in this work: nature as the causal agent of the entire trial, as …showed first 75 words of 1178 total…

…showed last 75 words of 1178 total…increased. In conclusion, The Open Boat portrays nature as a main character in the story. Many devices are used to culminate this interpretation. Through the many descriptions of nature as a causation of the action and as a constant force, it is easily interpreted as a primary persona in the story. The attitude and indifference of nature, as expressed by the sailors, greatly aids in developing nature as a crucial character in the short story.