Stephen Crane’s short story, “The Open Boat”, is a great example of Naturalist writing. The story shows the struggle that four men face with nature and its uncontrollable tendencies. The four men are depicted as a captain, correspondent, cook, and an oiler named Billie. The story starts with these men out at sea on a dinghy after their steamer ship the Commodore sank. Naturalists believe that human beings are shaped by heredity and environment and dominated by economic, social, or natural forces. This is shown in The Open Boat when the men struggle with the ocean and waves to safely get themselves to shore. The three basic characteristics of naturalism—pessimism, detachment of story, and determinism—are shown throughout the story, making Crane’s short story a perfect example of Naturalist writing.
The first example of naturalism is pessimism. Pessimism can be seen in all parts of the story and is the first example that can be seen in the beginning of the story. One of the examples of pessimism can be seen on page 586. The men ask why they are going to be drowned, especially if they have made it so far and so close to the shore. This shows how the men are very pessimistic of a chance of rescue. …show more content…
Detachment from the story is not focused on the character, but rather the story. An example of this is on page 584, the first paragraph of part III. In that paragraph it discusses the brotherhood of the men and how it was established at seas. This talks about how the men are friends and that no one has actually mentioned it, but they just knew. This would be an example of detachment from the story and not a reflection of how the characters feel because the characters thoughts are not stated. The line, “No one said it was so. No one mentioned it” (584), states how the men's feelings were not revealed because no one mentioned this feeling. In contradiction from detachment from the story is
The first example of naturalism is pessimism. Pessimism can be seen in all parts of the story and is the first example that can be seen in the beginning of the story. One of the examples of pessimism can be seen on page 586. The men ask why they are going to be drowned, especially if they have made it so far and so close to the shore. This shows how the men are very pessimistic of a chance of rescue. …show more content…
Detachment from the story is not focused on the character, but rather the story. An example of this is on page 584, the first paragraph of part III. In that paragraph it discusses the brotherhood of the men and how it was established at seas. This talks about how the men are friends and that no one has actually mentioned it, but they just knew. This would be an example of detachment from the story and not a reflection of how the characters feel because the characters thoughts are not stated. The line, “No one said it was so. No one mentioned it” (584), states how the men's feelings were not revealed because no one mentioned this feeling. In contradiction from detachment from the story is