"The Forces of Naturalism"

The Forces of Naturalism Following the declining of romanticism in the nineteenth century, realism and naturalism became more prevalent in American fiction. Stephen Crane and Jack London embodied the naturalistic genre by writing stories that show how forces of society, nature, and economy shape the lives of their characters and let fate determine their lives. The naturalism of the stories is shown by the indifferent and objective environment in which each character is placed. These …

…theme of objectivity, indifference, and pessimism. This style of writing is indicative of a period that stopped flaunting the ideal and hushed style of romanticism. By combining uncaring and unforgiving environments with unstoppable forces acting upon their characters, Crane and London exemplify the naturalistic writing style that followed the Civil War. These authors showed how man is often beaten down by social, economic, and environmental forces rather than constantly rising to accomplishment despite of them.