Question

Based on the contextual information provided about author Stephen Crane, what theme does the last sentence of this excerpt from his short story "The Open Boat" likely reflect?


Nature is cruel to the unfortunate.



Only the strongest survive.



Only the smartest survive.



Only the lucky survive.



Nature is indifferent to humans.

Answer 1

The answer is most-likely, Nature is indifferent to humans.

Answer 2

Answer: Nature is indifferent to humans.

The story's dominant theme is that nature is indifferent to humans. The survivors are desperate to be rescued, and to survive their ordeal. However, the soon realize their insignificance in the face of nature's forces. Towards the end, when some of them are able to survive, they feel they now understand nature. What they understand is that nature is inescrutable and indifferent to humans, and that we will never be able to control it or predict it.