The Meaning of Life
An analysis of select passages from Stephen Crane’s “The Open Boat” in relation uncovering meaning in life.
“When it occurs to a man that nature does not regard him as important, and that she feels she would not maim the universe by disposing of him, he at first wishes to throw bricks at the temple, and he hates deeply the fact that there are no bricks and no temples. Any visible expression of nature would surely be pelleted with his jeers. Then, if there be no tangible thing to hoot, he feels, perhaps, the desire to confront a personification and indulge in pleas, bowed to one knee, and with hands supplicant, saying: ‘Yes, but I love myself’… A high cold star on a winter's night is the word he feels that she says to him. Thereafter he knows the pathos of his situation.”
~Stephen Crane, “The Open Boat,” 1897.
This is a passage from the short-story “The Open Boat” by author Stephen Crane. If you would like to learn more about him, here’s a link to some autobiographical information: Analysis
I LOVE this passage. I think this quote sums up the story better than any other one in this story. I am only analyzing a small (yet hugely complex) part of this story, so I encourage you to check it out in full!
First, Stephen Crane presents us with this idea that nature is an unforgiving and indifferent force that does not care about humanity or the well-being of humans, let alone their very existence–at least it seems that way to us humans. He writes, in a separate passage:
“It represented in a degree…the serenity of nature amid the struggles of the individual—nature in the wind, and nature in the vision of men. She did not seem cruel to him then, nor beneficent, nor treacherous, nor wise. But she was indifferent, flatly indifferent” (italics done by me).
Because of this, and when one realizes this, one becomes infuriated with life and nature, and “he at first wishes to throw bricks at the temple” in order to communicate his hatred (which is ironic in and of itself seeing that if nature really is indifferent to us, than she wouldn’t actually care if we threw bricks at her temples). Crane then tells us that if there are “no bricks and no temples”–or, in other words, there’s nothing tangible to throw, then one will resort to “the desire to confront a personification and indulge in pleas,” which might help one find meaning in a life that seems meaningless.
One will then argue with the universe, who is believed to be indifferent to us, saying, “‘Yes, but I love myself’”. The argument here is that if I love myself, if I care about myself, and if I am not indifferent to my life and my existence, then shouldn’t that be enough? Shouldn’t that be a good enough reason for the universe to spare me of tragedy, adversity, struggle, suffering, pain, plight, and even death? This is a really great question. If we think about it in the context of a singular human life, within a world full of billions of other humans, animals, and living things, it seems that the answer to this question would be “No, that is not a good enough reason to spare you.” Because, when it comes down to it, how valuable is one human being’s life to the universe? And how valuable is that life in the grand scheme of things? Unless you are that person, or perhaps their family member or friend, you might also answer “No.” (I realize that a human life is very valuable, but I’m speaking literally right now). However, if we think about this question in the context of humanity as a whole, the answer becomes much more complex. As people, we believe that we are important; afterall, we are human beings—homosapiens–the most evolved, advanced, and highly-aware species on the planet. How can our lives be meaningless? This is where constructs like religion come into play. We think, since we’re so important, that there must be some divine purpose in life. And sure, there is—but it’s not in the way that we might normally think (i.e., it’s not to attain eternal salvation, or become ‘perfect’, or to make ‘good’ choices and be a ‘good’ human). Our so-called ‘purpose’ isn’t really even a purpose. In my mind, it’s a hope for what our lives can be, what they will be, and what they are–regardless of our individual life circumstances. This hope is different for everyone, and that’s why so much of religion and society and rules is virtually useless. This is also why life is so hard, because there’s no singular set-in-stone ‘all-knowing’ formula for ‘solving’ and navigating life’s ups and downs. And it’s when we try to create a formula like this that life becomes even more complicated, and for reasons that are unnecessary.
Circling back to the passage, Crane then writes that the universe’s response to our plea is “A high cold star on a winter’s night.” This answer from the universe may be interpreted in many ways: one might look at the star and feel hopeless, as a star in the sky does nothing to fix one’s problems. One, it’s so far out of reach, and two, it’s just a star. Although, one might also interpret the “high cold star” as a kind of sign from the universe. The sign doesn’t speak, but it provides light, guidance, direction, and ultimately, hope. In the context of this story, a star is not only a light amidst the ‘winter’ darkness, but also a directional guide that acts like a compass to ‘sailors’ (for instance, the North Star).
Nevertheless, Crane concludes this passage with: “Thereafter he knows the pathos of his situation,” which implies that the seeker, the beggar, the human being, upon receiving this answer from the universe, instantly realizes the tragedy of his situation. And yes, this is one way to look at it: you can’t escape or defeat nature, and the universe doesn’t revolve around you. But paradoxically, at the same time, it does. This is the human experience; this is life.
It’s all about perspective. How we choose to view the struggles we face in life will oftentimes determine their outcome and our eventual fate. So yes, Fate can be cruel and careless, but that’s only if you choose to look at it that way. Nothing is black and white. Nothing makes full and total sense. Nothing matters; and in this, everything matters.
“When it came night, the white waves paced to and fro in the moonlight, and the wind brought the sound of the great sea’s voice to the men on shore, and they felt that they could then be interpreters.”
And on this final note, also the final sentence of this story, adversity will come and go, again and again—that part of life is inescapable. It all depends on how we choose to approach that adversity, learn from it, and use it to propel us further into a more meaningful life.
With Love,
Brinn W.
