Final answer:
The subject of Stephen Crane's 'The Open Boat' is Nature, which is central to the Naturalism theme of the story. The characters face indifferent natural forces, with their struggle deepening their understanding of life and humanity's place in the universe. The movement that glorified nature and common people is Romanticism.
Step-by-step explanation:
The subject of the short story The Open Boat by Stephen Crane is c. Nature. The narrative explores themes of naturalism, presenting nature as indifferent to the struggles of the shipwreck survivors.
One can trace features of Naturalism through Crane's portrayal of the characters as small and insignificant against the vast, uncaring sea, highlighting humans at odds with natural forces beyond their control.
Billie the Oiler is the only character named in the story to add a sense of individuality amidst the universality of the men's experience.
The correspondent's realization that being in the open boat was the best experience of his life reflects the profound impact of their struggle against nature, offering a change in perspective on life and society.
Crane uses the metaphor of 'throwing bricks at the temple' to express the correspondent's frustration with the absence of divine or moral order in the face of their struggle.
The lack of bricks and temples suggests the emptiness of human beliefs when confronted with the indifferent natural world.
The characterization of nature in The Open Boat is central to its theme. Nature is presented as overwhelmingly powerful and indifferent, influencing the men's survival and eliciting the correspondent's contemplation of life's meaning.
The final line of the story, where the survivors feel they can be 'interpreters,' signifies a sense of connection and understanding, albeit a humbling one, between humans and the vast, impersonal forces of the natural world.
The artistic and literary movement that glorified nature, common people, exotic places, and the historical past is a. romanticism.