Naturalism by Garland

Theme: One theme from this novel is the American Dream. “Always certain of what he wanted from the world, Mr. Clutter had in large measure obtained it. On his left hand […] he wore a plain gold band […] which was the symbol, a quarter-century old, of his marriage to the person he had wished to marry…" (6) This quote demonstrates Herb’s embodiment of the American Dream. He has worked hard in his life, and been able to achieve everything he aims for. Another theme in this novel is mental illness. “She was "nervous," she suffered "little spells"—such were the sheltering expressions used by those close to her. Not that

The description of the oldest Haskins boy says he “drove a team all through the spring. . . and did chores innumerable, in most ways taking the place of a man. . . to see him in his coarse clothing. . . as he staggered with a pail of water from the well, or trudged in the cold and cheerless dawn out into the frosty field behind his team, gave the city-bred visitor a sharp pang of sympathetic pain” (180). Garland causes readers to rightly sympathize with the hard-working, uncomplaining boy who should be acting as a kid and not a man. Garland also says that “Haskins worked like a fiend, and his wife, like the heroic woman that she was, bore also uncomplainingly the most terrible burdens. They rose early and toiled without intermission till the darkness fell on the plain, then tumbled into bed, every bone and muscle aching with fatigue” (180). The great work ethic of the Haskins couple, combined with their many sorrows and uncomplaining attitudes causes the readers to admire and sympathize with these characters. The descriptions and actions of the Haskins family make the readers want the best for them because they are poor despite their good work ethic and

Through Naturalist writing styles that would revolutionize literature of their time, Stephen Crane and Jack London became staples of American writing. Similarities and differences of theme and element can be drawn in both, Crane’s short story, “An Episode of war”, and London’s short story, “To Build a Fire”. Naturalistic literature is a writing style, which was popularized around the 1880’s to the 1930’s. Naturalism mainly focuses on scientific principles that are applied to human character and nature, and shares some similar philosophies to realism. Both writers express different and similar perspectives, but give very insightful views on their opinions. London’s “To Build a Fire”, focuses on a man who is faced with the forces of nature,

In both Kate Chopin’s The Awakening and Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild, nature is paradoxically symbolized as both a liberator and a destroyer- intellectual maturation and hubris- through the “awakenings” of Edna Pontellier and Chris McCandless.

In the short story, An Episode of War by Stephan Crane, Naturalism is exhibited in two different situations. Naturalism is described by ordinary people doing everyday things who believe that there are forces beyond their control. The first example of Naturalism appears in this story when the lieutenant was shot. He was shot while giving out coffee to the soldiers, and this incident is a form off Naturalism because he was minding his own business and did nothing to provoke it. This quote explains why it was out of his control, “During this moment the men bout him gazed statue like and silent, were not expected…” Another example of Naturalism in the story is when the lieutenant’s arm was amputated. After being shot and returned to the medical

Mason felt a distinct difference from the way she and her family were living compared to the ones living in town. Her family lived off of their land and made use of all available resources, while others bought what they needed. Although having everything they needed to survive, she still felt they lived in “psychological poverty”. However, she also realized they were poor because they owned their land and was able to support themselves from what they had.

“Marxist critics examine literature for it’s reflection of how dominant elites exploits subordinate groups, how people become “alienated” from each other, and how middle-class/bourgeois values lead to the control and suppression of the working class (proletariats).... Such changes include the overthrow of the dominant capitalist ideology and the loss of power by those with money and privilege” as stated by Robert Diyanni. Butler is in a high class so the way his personality is differs compared to Haskin, which had to work for everything he wanted. Butler feels he can take advantage of the farmer just because he has more than him. At the end he realizes his at the same level and backs away.

I felt throughout this debate on Naturalism versus Theism, both Sean Carroll and William Lane Craig showed very valid evidence on both of their stance. However, both explained some theories that I couldn’t really accept or understand. Carroll was on the naturalism side of the debate, he explained how modern science and laws of physics undermine the idea of theism. Craig was on the theistic side, his argument was about how the Kalam Cosmological Argument and the Teleological Argument proved that it was possible a god created the universe. There were times during the debate on both sides where I got confused because of all the scientific jargon, but I feel like I understood the point behind the ideas of both debaters. I want side with Carroll

Naturalism is a literary device which, “blends social critique with a tragic narrative structure wherein a sort of natural fate irresistibly propels the characters toward their downfall...” (Attell). In Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck uses naturalism to bring to light the many issues that the characters on the ranch face. Steinbeck uses naturalism to thrust characters into their tragic endings. As Kevin Attell once wrote, “Steinbeck’s debt to and lineage from... Naturalist fiction is made clear through a reading of the way he constantly places his characters and narrative within the context of very specific, and more importantly, real social situations.” Naturalism plays a very important role in Of

Naturalism began having precedence in the literary world around 1865 as an offset to realism. Unlike realism that focuses on the reality of a situation, naturalism focuses on the psychological and sociological aspect of common people and everyday life. The core of naturalism is the belief that nature is indifferent. I believe the literature written by the author Stephen Crane, exemplifies naturalism in a way that is relatable to readers.

Well exemplified in Maggie, a Girl of the Streets, Naturalist fiction is often narrated from a detached, clinical narrative voice. Naturalists tend to evaluate society scientifically. They analyze their surroundings; however, they rarely get too involved or emotionally attached to their community. “Naturalistic writers thus used a version of scientific method to write their novels; they studied human beings governed by forces of heredity and environment.” (Campbell, 1) Literature that is naturalistic regularly attempts to apply scientific principles in writing. Campbell's quote further examines the specific intention in the mind of naturalists. Naturalists

Over the course of the late nineteenth century, there were two literary movements that could be easily defined as influential and can be pointed to as to have directly contributed to the quality of literature we have today. The two, realism and naturalism were both movements that occurred in American, European and English literature that encompass the feelings of early well-known writers such as Edith Warton, Stephen Crane, Jack London, and of course, perhaps the figurehead of naturalistic literature, Emile Zola. A great number of other early writers utilized this technique, just emphasizing the importance and popularity of it. A large number of these works have been linked as and cited as direct inspiration to certain literature still produced today. There can be many different ways to interpret these works and the author’s intention of what they are trying to portray, so the works can be discussed today as well. Of the two, naturalism is the movement that can be considered a derivative of realism. While the two share some similarities, naturalism is different enough to also be considered an alternative to realism (Norton 10). Naturalism, in contrast to realism, considers forces outside of human control as shaping their environment and as a result, much of their work contains impoverished or otherwise disabled characters that can’t escape their surroundings. Naturalism depicts work that is “scientific, thus truly realistic” (Norton 10) and paints an image of life in urban

Literary naturalism invited writers to examine human beings objectively, as a "scientist studies nature" ("Am. Lit." Compton's). In portraying ugliness and cruelty, the authors refrained from preaching about them; rather they left readers to draw their own conclusions about the life they presented. Generally, these authors took a pessimistic view to portray a life that centered on the negative part of man's existence. When dealing with society directly, naturalists generally detailed the destruction of people without any sentiment. To do this, they wrote more open about society's problems in a more open manner usually using nature as a symbol for society. Naturalistic literature, like! realistic, served as a catalyst for change but, in contrast, was a little more like propaganda.

Anyone who has read American literature will know of the significance of naturalism as a literary genre in American literature. Merriam Webster’s definition of Naturalism is as follows: A theory that art or literature should conform exactly to nature or depict every appearance of the subject that comes to the artist’s attention, specifically a theory in literature emphasizing the role of heredity and environment upon human life and character development. Naturalism went from being a movement in the 19th and 20th century to the literary genre it is today. Even though some consider naturalism to be stereotypical and one-dimensional, naturalism remains an important literary genre in American literature today because of it’s ability to turn from a literary movement to a literary genre and it’s popular novelists and major characteristics remain front and center in American literature today.

Naturalism describes a type of literature that attempts to apply scientific principles of objectivity and detachment to its study of human beings. The naturalist novel describes his characters in relation with their environment, heredity, instinct or chance. (http://public.wsu.edu/~campbelld/amlit/natural.htm)