How we cite our quotes: (Section.Paragraph)
Quote #1
"Well," said the cook, "perhaps it's not a house of refuge that I'm thinking of as being near Mosquito Inlet Light. Perhaps it's a life-saving station."
"We're not there yet," said the oiler, in the stern. (1.19-20)
First, we'd just like to point out the double meaning of the word "stern," as Crane uses it here. The cook is a pretty jovial guy, while the oiler is very serious—in other words, stern. Here he is being stern while sitting in the stern of the boat. Maybe this is unintentional, but with an author as perceptive as Crane, we doubt it. Anyway, this contrast in personalities is reflected in each man's sense of determination. The cook is determined to remain positive and optimistic, and the oiler is straight-up determined to survive. He doesn't mess around—he's just focused on getting out of this boat.
Quote #2
"Bail her, cook," said the captain, serenely.
"All right, captain," said the cheerful cook. (2.22-23)
This one group of determined dudes. Here, we can see the captain remaining calm and collected as he gives instructions, and the cook not letting their dire situation get him down. We wonder—how might this story be different had the four men not had such consistent and determined personalities? If we were ever stranded in a lifeboat, we'd definitely want the cook to be in there with us. Also MacGyver. And maybe someone who can catch fish. Oh, and Chris Rock, just because he's awesome.
Quote #3
For these reasons, and for others, neither the oiler nor the correspondent was fond of rowing at this time. The correspondent wondered ingenuously how in the name of all that was sane could there be people who thought it amusing to row a boat. It was not an amusement; it was a diabolical punishment, and even a genius of mental aberrations could never conclude that it was anything but a horror to the muscles and a crime against the back. (3.8)
Basically, the oiler and correspondent aren't so psyched about rowing. We'd like to add one more sentence to the end of this passage, to really hit our point home for you. It would be, "And still they kept rowing." They hate it so much, but still they keep on. If that's not determination, we don't know what is.