Boat:
Is the boat traveling along a smooth path? Look how the oars are
pointing in different directions. This makes the boat seem as though it is
rocking as it struggles against the wind, currents, and other obstacles.
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Water:
Water filled with menacing ice floes splashes against the boat.
Armed with oars and poles, the soldiers struggle to keep chunks of ice from
battering the side of the boat.
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Soldiers:
Although the boat does not seem to be moving very quickly,
there are indications that it is making headway across the river. Each of the
soldiers is working hard to keep the boat on its course.
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Flag:
The flag is also a motion indicator. Its fabric is
blown back by the wind, possibly from the boat's propulsion forward. Colonel
James Monroe (who would become the fifth United States president) struggles at
Washington's side to keep the flag aloft, as an inspirational symbol for the
other troops.
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General Washington:
General Washington appears to be the only element in
the painting that does NOT move. Washington stands erect and resolute, focusing
his thoughts on the future, not on the worries of the moment. His confidence is
inspiring to his soldiers as they struggle against great odds to cross the icy
river at dawn.
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