The Open Boat

The Open Boat Summary | Part 1 Summary

The tiny boat is being rocked and dipped on the waves that threaten to drown it. The men inside can see only the slate color of the water, topped off by white caps while they row for their lives. The boat holding four men is not much bigger than some bathtubs, and surviving this storm seems to be optimistic at best.

The cook is bailing the water that continues to pour in over the sides, and the oiler is taking his turn with the oars. The captain is injured and laying in the bow, unable to provide physical help but keeping up the direction and moral support. The other person in the boat is a correspondent, who is, at the moment, desperately trying to figure out what he is doing here.

The men are learning quickly that with each crashing wave, there is another one right on its wake, determined to drown the poor little dingy. The men do not have any concept of time, either. At one point, they notice the water has gone from gray to emerald green, and so it must be daylight. The men only focus on the wave in front of them.

The men entertain the thought that someone will surely see them soon from a life-saving station or a house of refuge on shore. The cook and the correspondent disagree about which is which, and which one has a crew in attendance, and which one merely houses equipment. The oiler tells them it is too early to worry about either, just yet.