Stephen Crane's 'A Man Said To The Universe'

Andrew Delbanco, writer for New Republic, suggested that “Crane’s likely attitude toward such questions: One sees what one prefers”. The experiences and lessons portrayed in Stephen Crane’s works are based on his own personal vision and sense of integrity. (“Stephen Crane”) Crane’s works very often rebuke traditional ideologies and inquires about things that religions aren’t necessarily concerned about. (Vanouse) He loves to analyze and interpret human actions when undergoing terrible and often faith-testing scenarios. (Vanouse) In the poem “A Man Said to The Universe”, Crane’s naturalistic views are put on display as he talks about man getting little acknowledgement by the universe. He is saying that man is very disconnected to their setting and pokes fun at the main character’s longing for recognition by the universe. (Awana) Even from a young age, Crane swayed from the conventional piety and was skeptical about “the lake of fire and other sideshows of Christianity”. (Vanouse) In one of Crane’s novels, Maggie, published
As we all know in reality, the universe is nonhuman and does not possess the ability to speak. For that reason, this poem utilizes personification to convey a Man vs Nature conflict, which adds to the overall meaning of the poem. Stephen Crane, a naturalist, impressionist, and a firm believer in environmental determinism, also uses cosmic irony to spice up the message is trying to portray. Cosmic irony is the idea that fate and the universe are big forces and control human actions and emotions. The utilization of this literary element helps to show that the main character feels forgotten, unloved, and uncared about. This duo of literary elements adds to the harsh and ultimate message that Stephen Crane is attempting to show all of us: Society, Life, People, the World, and the Universe does not owe us