Most of the action occurs inside the narrator's head, as he begins to question everything he thought he knew about life, the universe, and all sorts of other existential stuff. They wonder about their chances of rescue, and worry they might not survive. That's what's happening in Stephen Crane's 'The Open Boat.' The story begins in medias res, which means we begin in the middle of the story: the ship is already long gone and the three men are bobbing around in the lifeboat. How long before you start asking those same 'Why me?' questions, only this time much louder, and way more seasick? You and three other (random) people end up stuck on a lifeboat together. Now, get your Kate and Leo on and imagine you've just escaped a sinking ship. We just kept thinking, 'What have we done to deserve this? Is this happening for a reason? What is the universe trying to tell us?' Long story short-you're not alone. Have you ever experienced bad luck? Don't worry, you're not alone-we have too, and let us tell you, it was awful. What is The Open Boat About and Why Should I Care?

With its masterful control of tension and deep existential inquiry, 'The Open Boat' might just be (to quote Kanye) the greatest short story of all time-and that's no small achievement. It won immediate praise from critics and today remains one of Crane's best-known and most-loved works, along with The Red Badge of Courage. In 1898, it was published as the lead story in a collection of Crane's work.

The story originally appeared in Scribner's Magazine just a few months after the event itself. They debate their chances of rescue, worry they might not survive, wonder about why they're here, and try to understand what it all means. He wrote a sequel to the original story, which he titled ' The Open Boat.' Here's the gist: four men are on a lifeboat. Luckily, Crane didn't keep us waiting for too long. In an attempt to make his name a bit better known, he titled his story 'Stephen Crane's Own Story.' The only thing is, he left out all the juicy parts about being stuck in the lifeboat for thirty hours. Back on shore, Craned realized he needed something to write about since he never made it to Cuba, so he wrote up an account of the ship sinking and his saga getting rescued from the lifeboat, which was published in the New York Press just a few days later, on January 7, 1897. They were successful, but one of the men drowned in the process. With little hope of rescue, the four made the decision to try to reach shore on their own. After the sinking, Crane spent thirty hours adrift at sea in a small lifeboat with three other men. Three days into the journey, the ship sank just off the coast of Florida. Crane was on his way to the island to report on the local uprising against Spain. It was around this time (New Year's Eve 1896, to be specific) that author Stephen Crane stepped aboard the steamship SS Commodore, destination: Cuba. Break out those top hats and dust off that pocket watch-tonight we're going to party like it's 1896.

Lifeboat crane