Nature Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Nature - Essay Example Such is the case for the two stories examined here. As it is well known in literary circles, not everything that the writer intends to tell is told directly. Some messages are indirectly conveyed. Such is the case with these two stories – Stephen Crane’s â€Å"Maggie: A Girl of the Streets† and â€Å"The Open Boat.† Before one starts to make any point about these two stories, it must be emphasized that there is really no story which nature is not inherent. No matter where the physical setting of any story is, it would also be within the confines of nature. Hence, one must mention that one of the most significant scenes in â€Å"Maggie: A Girl of the Streets† is set by the edge of a river. This is where the â€Å"huge fat man† Maggie eventually takes her. The scene is important because it is where Maggie is believed to have lost her life (Crane 36). Similarly, the setting of â€Å"The Open Boat† is a ship on the seas. Like in â€Å"Mag gie: A Girl of the Streets†, the setting again has something to do with water (nature) (Crane 189). The only difference is that this time, water is not only a symbol; it may also be interpreted to directly affect the lives of the human race. One gets to learn that in life, we all undergo certain issues from time to time, and we, not others, are the best to help ourselves out. Nature would remain fair to all. Whenever one discovers the level to which some persons lack the milk of human kindness, one is often amazed. This most time makes one to just re-examine one’s life and the ethos which one has imbued over time. For instance in â€Å"Maggie: A Girl of the Streets†, one cannot but wonder why it seems that characters like Jimmie and Blue Billie just seem to be so bellicose that they desire to be in a brawl at the slightest provocation (Crane 13). At such times when the bellicosity of these characters is at its peak, one also wonders if they ever had elderly ones to direct them. It is very obvious that Jimmie had someone who is in the place to put him through the best way to behave in the society. But from the look of things, it is either that they were never taught or that he rejected what they were taught. From what one discovers in the story, what may turn out to be third possibility is very unlikely. This third possibility is that the parents themselves do not possess strong moral standings to be able to teach their children the ethos which they need to know. The same thing applies to â€Å"The Open Boat.† Everyone is supposed to have been brought up in such a way that would be able discern when a person is seriously in need of their help or not. In the case of the people whom the shipwrecked men appeal to come for their help, they were simply unable to discern when people seriously need their help and when they don’t. Besides the fact that one, as a reader, is taught indirectly to learn from the bad examples of some charac ters, one is to learn not to tow their way. While readers learn from the flaws of some of these characters, some emotions are evoked in them. In the long run, these are the emotions that would come to play in stopping from taking the wrong decisions in life. One other feature which one learns from the two stories is that, no matter how much one tries to cover up the truth, it would eventually come out. One also discovers that one’s true characters only come to the fore when facing some trying times. For example, in â€Å"