The Naturalism and Realism era was a time period where writers focused on applying scientific principals to study human beings. This movement was most prevalent in the late 19th century through the early 20th century. Within this window a writer that stood out to me was Stephen Crane and specifically his piece “The Open Boat”. This piece grasped the full effects of naturalism and its themes, principals, and characteristics. Stephen Crane’s “The Open Boat” is a great example of naturalism and a connection to this time period. Stephen Crane’s “The Open Boat” begins in the first section by painting a picture of four men, only one named, in a boat lost at sea. The author describes the boat and its vulnerabilities due to its size in comparison
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This continues into the fourth part of the story. Trying to make way to land the surf began to become too rough and they ran the risk of capsizing. They decided to turn back to see where they noticed a man on shore that doesn’t realize that they are in trouble. Trying to signal the man, this is apparently mistaken for a common formality, they are then back to sea hoping the man will send a rescue boat. Section five describes the men at the hands of the elements of nature. They were cold tired and trying to get some sleep. In the night, the correspondent noticed a shark swimming around the boat, another over powering element that signaled that man was helpless. Part six, the final section, starts with a character stating “If I am going to be drowned – if I am I going to be drowned – if I am going to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea, was I allowed to come thus far…”. (Crane 1001) This quote shows a naturalism component that shows what humans are thinking in the …show more content…
The date of 1897,of which it was first published, closely connects and correlates to the time period. Crane’s use of indifferent elements described in detail and their effect on characters fall into this era unlike it would with the others like the Antebellum Era or WW1 & Its Aftermath. The Open Boat did not have a distinct American feeling as you would find in the Antebellum Era nor did it have a pessimistic and cynical tone that you would find in the era of WW1 & Its Aftermath. His use of the sea and nature within the Naturalism and Realism Era fall into and best connect to this writing movement in American literature distinctly from the
This continues into the fourth part of the story. Trying to make way to land the surf began to become too rough and they ran the risk of capsizing. They decided to turn back to see where they noticed a man on shore that doesn’t realize that they are in trouble. Trying to signal the man, this is apparently mistaken for a common formality, they are then back to sea hoping the man will send a rescue boat. Section five describes the men at the hands of the elements of nature. They were cold tired and trying to get some sleep. In the night, the correspondent noticed a shark swimming around the boat, another over powering element that signaled that man was helpless. Part six, the final section, starts with a character stating “If I am going to be drowned – if I am I going to be drowned – if I am going to be drowned, why, in the name of the seven mad gods who rule the sea, was I allowed to come thus far…”. (Crane 1001) This quote shows a naturalism component that shows what humans are thinking in the …show more content…
The date of 1897,of which it was first published, closely connects and correlates to the time period. Crane’s use of indifferent elements described in detail and their effect on characters fall into this era unlike it would with the others like the Antebellum Era or WW1 & Its Aftermath. The Open Boat did not have a distinct American feeling as you would find in the Antebellum Era nor did it have a pessimistic and cynical tone that you would find in the era of WW1 & Its Aftermath. His use of the sea and nature within the Naturalism and Realism Era fall into and best connect to this writing movement in American literature distinctly from the