Naturalism In Stephen Crane's Of Mice And Man

667 Words2 Pages
bulb-icon

Recommended: The similarities and differences between realism and naturalism

Naturalism is the accurate depiction of graphic detail, and it has many characteristics. Naturalism is commonly associated with realism because it shares some of the same characteristics. According to “The 10 Most Important Features of Naturalism” five characteristics of Naturalism are determinism, pessimism, narrative and language used, human condition influenced by inheritance, and rejection of romanticism. Determinism is the internal belief that one man cannot control their own fate, rather that everything is a chain reaction and that one thing is happening as the consequence of another. With Naturalism being so close to realism it must also touch on the characteristic of pessimism, which is essentially showing the darkest part of a character, …show more content…

In Stephen Crane’s The Red Badge of Courage he used such colorful language and vivid descriptions to appeal to the reader. For example, “He had, of course, dreamed of battles all his life--of vague and bloody conflicts that had thrilled him with their sweep and fire.” (Crane). This is what Naturalism is all about, telling the story how it most likely happened and doing it in striking detail. Another author to use this style is John Steinbeck in In Of Mice and Men. Steinbeck uses Naturalism by keeping his characters simple, keeping the situation realistic, and creating a clear, vivid, and realistic picture for the reader. Steinbeck makes it seem as if he took his characters straight out of life because there is nothing unrealistic about them. This is why he keeps his characters simple and relatable. He also keeps the situation real by creating common jobs and common problems which also helps the reader relate. Steinbeck creates his scenes in vivid detail so it is as if the reader is standing in the middle of the scene. For example, “The deep green pool of the Salinas River was still in the late afternoon. Already the sun had left the valley to go climbing up the slopes of the Gabilan Mountains, and the hilltops were rosy in the sun. But by the

Show More
Related

  • The Grapes of Wrath - Fear, Hostility, and Exploitation in Chapter 21

    1037 Words  | 3 Pages

    Within four pages, Steinbeck greatly clarifies and expands upon his story by examining the different emotions and reactions of his general character groups. He takes two sides of an argument and applies them to a third body rather than pit them against each other. By mastering the use of the intercalary chapter, he is able enrich his story with deeper thought and explore it outside the boundaries of his main characters. In this manner, Steinbeck is able to write a four-page chapter which holds great meaning to a 581-page novel.

    Read More

  • The Natural by Bernard Malamud

    1043 Words  | 3 Pages

    Every individual has two lives, the life we live, and the life we live after that. Nobody is perfect, but if one works hard enough, he or she can stay away from failure. The Natural is a novel written by Bernard Malamud. It is Malamud’s first novel that initially received mixed reactions but afterwards, it was regarded as an outstanding piece of literature. It is a story about Roy Hobbs who after making mistakes in his life, he returns the bribery money and is left with self-hatred for mistakes he has done. Hobbs was a baseball player who aspired to be famous, but because of his carnal and materialistic desire, his quest for heroism failed, as he was left with nothing. In the modern world, the quest for heroism is a difficult struggle, and this can be seen through the protagonist in The Natural.

    Read More

  • Saki's Use Of Suspense In 'The Interlopers'

    1017 Words  | 3 Pages

    The way in which the author describes the scene with heavy detail allows for the reader to become more involved in the story mentally. As shown when they were “In a forest mixed growth somewhere on the

    Read More

  • A Comparison of John Steinbeck's novel Of Mice and Men and the 1939 Film Version of the Novel

    2197 Words  | 5 Pages

    The way that Steinbeck combines detailed descriptions of

    Read More

  • East Of Eden Allusions

    691 Words  | 2 Pages

    The exposition starts with a very detailed introduction of Salinas Valley. John Steinbeck writes, “It is a long narrow swale between two ranges of mountains, and the Salinas River winds and twists up the center until it falls at last into Monterey Bay.” (10) This shows that Steinbeck really

    Read More

  • To A Mouse, by Robert Burns and Of Mice and Men, by John Steinbeck

    762 Words  | 2 Pages

    Steinbeck, on the other hand, used third person omniscient when writing his novel. This gives the reader the full story! The reader is aware of the thoughts and actions of all the characters involved, not just a few of them.... ... middle of paper ...

    Read More

  • Grapes of Wrath Essay: Steinbeck's Use of Interchapters

    780 Words  | 2 Pages

    Steinbeck uses some of the interchapters to set the tone and mood of the novel and to depict the life of the migrants that had to travel down Route 66 in the 1930's.  For example, Steinbeck writes chapter seven using a newsreel technique.  By using small pieces of spoken conversation, and half-thoughts, Steinbeck is able to create a mood of confusion and chaos.   He creates an image of how the migrants were taken advantage of and gives the reader an impression of the hard times many of the migrants had to face.

    Read More

  • Of Mice And Men

    1578 Words  | 4 Pages

    Whatever Steinbeck’s intent for writing such a jarring ending, he leaves the reader with a

    Read More

  • Steinbeck Figurative Language

    964 Words  | 2 Pages

    John Steinbeck’s use of figurative language and local color in Cannery Row, Sweet Thursday and Of Mice and Men show his growth as a writer and highlight the reoccurring theme of loneliness and ostracism. The time gap in between these books show that Steinbeck grows as he experiences more throughout his life. Steinbeck’s novels are always set in California due to his extensive knowledge of the area since he has lived in the area his entire life. In all of his works the characters use parts of speech and actions that are customary to that area.

    Read More

  • Jack London’s Use of Repetition in “To Build a Fire”

    1230 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...ne that when reading from an objective point of view the audience is able to place themselves in a similar position as the man. A story about man without a name and a face to visualize leaves only his personality for the readers to connect with. In “To Build a Fire” the man’s determination is the character of the story, through all the events that transpire he is still willing to meet his friends, “the boys”, by six o’clock. Although it took another writer’s opinion to help me comprehend the true intentions of London’s “To Build a Fire”, my appreciation for the piece has grown along with my understanding of what sets naturalism apart from other writing styles.

    Read More

  • Naturalism In John Steinbeck's Of Mice And Men

    575 Words  | 2 Pages

    In Of Mice and Men (1936) John Steinbeck examines the role of naturalism and the influence of the three determinants of human behavior. To begin, Steinbeck shows how a person’s physical need and desire can influence their actions. Throughout the novel, the characters are intent on taking care of themselves by meeting some of their simple needs such as food and water. For example, Steinbeck states, “[Lennie] dropped his blankets and flung himself down and drank from the surface of the green pool; drank with long gulps, snorting into the water like a horse” (Steinbeck 3).

    Read More

  • Naturalism in Jack London's To Build a Fire

    1273 Words  | 3 Pages

    ...t when he began to panic as the second fire extinguished. He seemed as though he had lost all knowledge of his survival skills. He thought about killing the dog and wallowing in its steaming insides for refuge from the cold. "The sight of the dog put a wild idea into his head. He remembered the tale of a man, caught in a blizzard, who killed a steer and crawled inside the carcass, and so was saved."(1752). When the man realized that the dog would not let him come near he was forced to concoct another plan. His idea was that if he ran all the way to the camp, he would be able to survive. Unfortunately, that plan failed as well and the man perished in the cold, numbing snow of the Yukon. Overall, naturalism is the most realistic literary movement. It parallels life more than any other movement because it reveals the fact that nature has not heart and no emotions. Nature feels no compassion for human struggles and will continue on it's path of destruction and harm regardless of the circumstances.

    Read More

  • The Natural by Bernard Malamud

    1196 Words  | 3 Pages

    Throughout the story, Malamud uses all types of imagery to display important events, Roy’s accomplishments, and characters relationships. The imagery takes hold of the reader and makes the story appealing and tasteful. The Natural, by Bernard Malamud, uses beautiful and colorful imagery that makes the overall story an interesting and enjoyable read.

    Read More

  • American Literature in the Post World War II

    1476 Words  | 3 Pages

    Among them, the pioneers are Bernard Malamud, Ken Kesey and Joseph Heller, who wrote the Natural, One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest, and Catch-22. The Natural is Bernard Malamud’s first novel. Borrowing the mythological story of Fisher King and Waste Land legend, Malamud developed an appealing story about a baseball player named Roy Hobbs, whose natural talent had been discovered by a scout, Sam Simpson. On the train to Chicago, Roy met Max Mercy, Walter “Whammer”, and the mysterious Harriet Bird. At the stopover, Roy struck out Whammer.

    Read More

  • Stephen Crane and American Realism

    1508 Words  | 4 Pages

    If it was not for Stephen Crane and his visionary work than American Realism would not have taken hold of the United States during the eighteen hundreds. During the years following the Civil War America was a melting pot of many different writing styles. Many scholars argue that at this time there was still no definite American author or technique. Up to this point authors in the Americas simply copied techniques that were popular in regions of Europe. Stephen Crane came onto the scene with a very different approach to many of his contemporaries. He was a realist, and being such he described actions in a true, unadorned way that portrayed situations in the manner that they actually occurred (Kaplan). He had numerous admired pieces but his most famous work was the Red Badge of Courage (Bentley 103). In this novel he illustrates the accounts of a Union soldier named Henry Fleming. At first the writing was considered too graphic and many people did not buy the book. Eventually the American people changed their opinions and began to gravitate towards Crane’s work. The readers were fascinated by the realistic environment he creates even though he himself had never fought in a war (Bentley 103). By spreading the influence of realistic writing Crane has come to be known as the first American Realist.

    Read More

More about Naturalism In Stephen Crane's Of Mice And Man

Open Document