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Naturalism in Stephen Crane’s “the Open Boat”

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Naturalism in Stephen Crane’s “the Open Boat”
Naturalism in Stephen Crane’s “The Open Boat”

Naturalism has been defined in literature as "emphasizes the role of environment upon human characters" (Flanagan). Stephen Crane’s,“The Open Boat”, naturalism in his story is nature as uncaring, the universes had no signs and the men had no purpose. In the book it expresses the waves and the water as being uncaring. The waves kept trying to get in the dingy as they were in open sea. It seemed no matter what or how tired or even close to death nothing would give. There was no hope for the men, no signs of something good to come. Negative signs were given any chance such as the birds flying over the dingy. "After it had been discouraged from the pursuit the captain breathed easier on account of his hair, and others breathed easier because the bird struck their minds at this time as being somehow gruesome and ominous." Reaching the house of refuge they thought a boat would be sent out but nothing came of it just people on the shore line doing nothing. With the land in a tease reach, the men are exhausted and the occurring thought was this, "If I am going to be drowned--if I am 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 and contemplate sand and trees? Was I brought here merely to have my nose dragged away as I was about to nibble the sacred cheese of life?" Through all they have been though they clearly deserve to be on land out of the uncaring sea. When they finally do they have to jump into the water and it was also a struggle just like their journey all along. The correspondent still had negative thoughts till the end. “In his struggle to reach the captain and the boat, he reflected that when one gets properly wearied, drowning must really be a comfortable arrangement, a cessation of hostilities accompanied by a large degree of relief, and he was glad of it, for the main thing in his mind for some months had been

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