“The Open Boat” is meant to induce a tragic mood, but it is also meant to be beautiful. Since “The Open Boat” is a story about survival, it is clear from the beginning that the main characters will suffer. Early on, Crane establishes that the men are struggling: they are in a small boat, it's cold, and their lives are in danger.
However, unlike many stories about survival, the characters' worst qualities are not brought to the forefront. Instead, the four men’s redeeming qualities are shown in the face of their suffering, which sets up the reader to feel empathy for them. The men still share cigars, joke, and find camaraderie in the face of their shared adversary. The oiler, in particular, is shown to be selfless, taking other men’s shifts and working extra hard. In other words, they are sympathetic characters, and the reader wants to root for them.
The ending is also tragic. Even though three of the four men survived, the most likely to survive perished. The mood is not as dark as it could have been, but it is still meant to make the reader feel vulnerable in company with the characters. The reader is supposed to ruminate on the fragility of the human condition in general. Fate can still kill you easily and arbitrarily, even if you are a good person. But fate can also save you. The end of the story leans into the beautiful part of the tragedy, hinting that the men gleaned insights into the majesty of nature and that the men were grateful to survive, allowing the reader to end on a slightly more uplifted note.
