One of the major conflicts in this story is the age-old conflict between man and nature. The men must conquer the sea in order to survive, and so, they are in conflict with the sea, which does not care about their survival at all. Crane writes, "A singular disadvantage of the sea lies in the fact that after successfully surmounting one wave you discover that there is another behind it just as important and just as nervously anxious to do something effective in the way of swamping boats" (Crane). Until they can make it to land, they are in constant danger of dying. Thus, they are in conflict with the ocean and all its power, while they have little power over it.
             The natural world is a common element of conflict in fiction, because it is beyond man's control. While men can control machinery, technology, and most aspects of their lives, they have no control over Mother Nature, and so, she makes the perfect fictional opponent. These men have the skills to survive on the ocean, but they are still surviving on the whim of Mother Nature. Crane alludes to this in the story, right before the men are poised to make a run through the surf to the shore. He writes, "It represented in a degree, to the correspondent, 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, or beneficent, or treacherous, nor wise. But she was indifferent, flatly indifferent" (Crane). All these men can do is hope they can survive until they find land, and follow their instincts to stay alive and find the nearest shore. Mother Nature is indifferent to their fate, and so, they must take their fate into their own hands and make sure they overcome the obstacles placed before them in the open boat.
             Another conflict the men face is their own physical exhaustion. They have been in the boat for two days and nights, constantly rowing (until they rig the makeshift sail)....