Nature is not animate. It is composed of a multitude of living components, yet nature itself is no more alive than a rock or a grain of salt. Therefore, the natural world is powerless to exercise control over the experiences and interactions individuals have with it. The naturalist school of literature and thought supports this assertion. Naturalist writers Stephen Crane and Jack London, and cinema director Joe Carnahan provide clear examples of naturalism in their work. Their respective works “The Open Boat”, “To Build a Fire”, and The Grey all employ the notion of the universe as indifferent to the plight of its constituents to strengthen the naturalist vein which runs throughout each piece.
No amount of exhortation will influence nature, it hears not the cries of the pitiful; whether or not these pleas are answered is not within the jurisdiction of nature. In The Open Boat, the men are certain that they will not be smote by the sea, “[the sea] cannot drown me. She dare not drown me…”(Crane 609) they think. Four of them survive but Billie the oiler, who undoubtedly had similar thoughts whilst he drifted among the swells, is not so lucky. Billie’s death illustrates that it could have been any one of those five men to die; there is no particular reason it is Billie nor is there a reason why it is not another. Similarly, in The Grey, John Ottway, as he stumbles aimlessly and alone through the wilderness, screams to God or the governing forces of the Earth to do something about his situation. There is, in compliance with naturalism, no response. He takes matters into his own hands and navigates himself directly to the wolves’ den. Here he dies, and nature has done nothing to place him in this position. Nature doesn’t enhance or sub...
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...urable functions in order to mourn the death of this man. The wind continues to blow furiously and the cold remains subarctic despite the facts that the plane crash survivors are unequipped. Nature does not mirror the dismay of the men; it is unaware of and unconcerned with their dilemma. The affairs of human beings in no way damage or benefit nature or the universe as a whole.
In the end, the actions and states of man cannot affect nature. There is nothing any person can do to gain the favor or the hatred of nature. The apathy of nature toward mankind is constant. Naturalism is based upon this belief, as are the naturalist works “The Open Boat, “To Build a Fire”, and The Grey”. The nonchalance of the universe is a theme present in each of the aforementioned creations and is a theme that connects all naturalist works.
Works Cited
Ragtime by E.L Doctorow
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In the contract of life, there are numerous requirements. Every living being must be able to reproduce, practice homeostasis, consume energy, and adapt. However, there is one component of life that facilitators don’t include in their lesson plans: death. While all living organisms must have the ability to perform certain tasks in order to be considered living, all life must come to an end. Death is not a matter of if, but when. Many humans share a common fear of losing a loved one, yet authors utilize death to convey a profound meaning within their novel. In the first paragraph Bill Barich’s novel, Laughing in the Hills, he uses the inevitability of death to supply the reader with insight on the theme of his writing.
In the short story “ The Open Boat,” by Stephen Crane, Crane does an outstanding job creating descriptive images throughout the entire story. With saying this, Crane uses symbolism along with strong imagery to provide the reader with a fun and exciting story about four guys who 's fight was against nature and themselves. Starting early in the book, Crane creates a story line that has four men in a great amount of trouble in the open waters of the ocean. Going into great detail about natures fierce and powerful body of water, Crane makes it obvious that nature has no empathy for the human race. In this story, Crane shows the continuous fight that the four men have to endure in able to beat natures strongest body of water. It 's not just nature the men have to worry about though, its the ability to work together in order to win this fight against nature. Ultimately, Crane is able to use this story, along with its vast imagery and symbolism to compare the struggle between the human race and all of natures uncertainties.
Men are strong and powerful human being’s, but does nature defeat them? In all through these three pieces that Edgar Allen Poe and Herman Melville wrote it is proven that nature is stronger than man. It is shown that in every aspect that nature is too over powering for man to handle. The factor of nature being strong, dangerous and unpredictable at the same time is too much for any man or any manmade object to overcome. The power of nature does defeat man in every way; it cannot be stopped or slowed down no matter what is done to prepare for it. When people think of man, they think of carefree living with no problems other than other human beings, but truth to be told, the power of nature is what is in control and will always be in control as long as man remains alive on this powerful and unpredictable planet.
Nature has no compassion for the plight of the family, nor is it a malicious force; it is merely a power with constructive or destructive potential. We see its constructive side when it freezes Johnny to death.
Important aspects of naturalism are the ideas that people are essentially animals responding to their basic urges without rational thought, and the insignificance of man to others and nature. In The Jungle, Sinclair portrays Jurgis as a man slowly changing into animal as well as a man whose actions are irrelevant to the rest of the corrupt capitalist world of Chicago in order to show the reader the naturalist ideas of the struggles between man and society.
... out that nature, although it does impact the men's lives, does not have any connection to the outcome. With his short story, Crane challenges the idea that men and nature are connected spiritually. He even challenges the idea of religion by leaving the outcome of the men simply to the experience that they have. The boat, an oar, and some directions from their captain save the men from death, not a divine guide. One man simply does not make it to the shore alive. The view of man and nature within this story is somewhat pessimistic, pointing to the philosophy that we are hopeless in the face of circumstance. The point Crane makes in the end is that although people are often victims of circumstance, humans have one another to help survive difficult experiences.
nature is not as in the plant and tree kind of nature, but on the nature of man at a
From the lone hiker on the Appalachian Trail to the environmental lobby groups in Washington D.C., nature evokes strong feelings in each and every one of us. We often struggle with and are ultimately shaped by our relationship with nature. The relationship we forge with nature reflects our fundamental beliefs about ourselves and the world around us. The works of timeless authors, including Henry David Thoreau and Annie Dillard, are centered around their relationship to nature.
In the story, The Natural, certain characters and events are portrayed in a distinctive way that makes this story unique to other books and shows the typical writing style of the narrator. The author uses a repetitive writing technique that is impossible to overlook. The writer of this book is able to catch the reader’s eye with his concept of the importance of beautiful description. The Natural, by Bernard Malamud, uses great imagery that makes the story appealing.
Nature is often portrayed as indifferent or disinterested in the affairs of humankind. Whereas naturalism involves emphasis on the hostility of nature, realism lacks this trait. For example, after fighting a battle, "the youth [feels] a flash of astonishment at the blue, pure sky and the sun gleaming on the trees and fields.
Nature is usually seen more as the setting, rather than the antagonist in a story. In Jack London’s “To Build a Fire,” there is a never ending battle between nature and the four different living entities, whether they be current or past experiences. This portrays nature as more of an opposing character, rather than it being a part of the setting. By using the four characters, the man, the dog, the old-timer from Sulphur Creek and the boys, London is able to portray how nature impacts them all and how they react based on their experience and knowledge.
Authors’ Steven Crane and Jack London are known for their stories using naturalism, the struggle between man and nature. Naturalism is like realism, but it explores the forces of nature, heredity, and the environment on human beings, who are faced with the forces of nature. Both “The Open Boat” and “To Build a Fire” demonstrate how inferior and small humans’ really are to nature. Humans cannot control nature or determine its outcome. In both stories nature is the antagonist constantly challenging the humans’ ability to survive. I chose the topic over naturalistic elements because I enjoyed reading these stories. Both stories have a strong since of naturalism in it and both authors’ are known for naturalistic features existing in their writings. In this paper I will give you more of an insight to what naturalism is and what naturalistic elements are present in the two stories listed above.
The words “indifferent” or “indifference,” regarding the attitude of Nature, occur repeatedly in the important responses to “The Open Boat.” In fact, this is found in the story itself, where the correspondent thinks of Nature, that she “was indifferent, flatly indifferent” (Crane 215). The correspondent comes to the realization, “When it occurs to a man that nature does not regard him as important, and that she feels she would not maim the universe by disposing of him, he first wishes to throw bricks at the temple, and he hates deeply the fact that there are no bricks and no temples” (Crane 213). While the men may try to pin their trouble on the “mythicized deity,” that really does not serve them.
and death is inevitable. Second, natural phenomenon’s get in our way, and third our relationships