Stephen Crane The Naturalist

 Naturalism in literature was a philosophy used by writers to describe humans in regards to the influences and interactions within their own environments. The characters described in the naturalist literatures were usually in dire surroundings and often from the middle to lower classes. Despite their circumstances however, humans within the naturalist literature were able to eventually overcome their situations by some form of courage or heroism. Stephen Crane was one of the United States leading naturalists in the late 19th century. He depicted the human mind in a way that few others have been capable of doing. He was mainly influenced by his lifestyle and family life.

Naturalism is a literary movement taking place from 1880s to 1940s that used detailed realism to suggest that social conditions, heredity, and environment had inescapable force in shaping human character. Naturalistic authors, such as Abraham Cahan, Ellen Glasgow Jack London, Frank Norris, Theodore Dreiser, and Stephen Crane, sought to replicate everyday and were influenced by Charles Darwin’s theory of evolution that led them to believe that one’s heredity and social environment determine one’s character. Naturalist texts are also said to, “aspire to present examples of controlled turmoil, the outcomes of which must seem spontaneous, or natural…” (Thompson-Gale Naturalism). Finally, it attempts to determine “scientifically” the underlying forces influencing the actions of its subjects. Naturalistic works often include pessimism and expose the dark harshness of life, including poverty, racism, sex, violence, prejudice, disease, corruption, prostitution, and filth. As a result, naturalistic writers were frequently criticized for being too blunt.

Stephen Crane was often criticized for his bluntness, but he was also praised for his amazing realistic portrayal of everyday life. In most naturalistic writings, the history shapes the character instead of vice versa. This is evident in Crane’s book, “Red Badge of Courage”, where the main character is put into a war and is shaped into a courageous man, but he ultimately meets his demise. History also influences Crane’s character in his poem, “War is Kind”. In this poem, Crane depicts the aftermath of a soldier dying in a war. Crane uses a very ironic tone throughout this poem to describe how the wife now left alone feels while he also describes war and his attitude towards it. While describing war he presents the reader with a melodramatic image of death with the dying soldier throwing his “wild hands toward the sky/And … [his] affrighted steed … running on alone.” This imagery shows the reader Crane’s disapproving attitude towards war.

All of the pieces of Crane’s writings show the evidence of his use of naturalism throughout his life. The reason behind his use of this movement is hidden in his family life and lifestyle. Stephen Crane was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1871 into a family of fourteen children. Crane’s father was a minister and his mother was dedicated to social concerns. This affected the topic of Crane’s writings, moving it towards faith and social problems. The effects of his parents are evident in his first work, “Maggie”, which followed the life of a girl living in the slums. This piece was the start of his naturalistic career and included many aspects of naturalism by focusing on the character’s environment and surroundings. Crane’s brothers also encouraged him to become a writer by being writers themselves and giving him a job as a reporter after he left college.

One unique aspect of Crane’s life was his lifestyle. This affected his writing dramatically and allowed him to be one of the greatest naturalistic writers of his time. Throughout Crane’s life, he lived in the atmosphere that he wanted to write about. This gave him a step up on the setting and characters he would write about. One example of this is when he lived in poverty for many years while writing his first novel, “Maggie”. Another example is after his novel “The Red Badge of Courage”, Crane followed wars and battles making him an expert on the pain in war. Finally, much of Crane’s work is narrated from an ordinary point of view, which is in an extraordinary circumstance due to his close relations with different people.

Although Stephen Crane’s life was very short, he succeed in writing an abundance of naturalistic works that have greatly impacted American literature. Most notably, Ernest Hemingway has credited him as a major influence to the Modernist and Imagist literary waves sweeping after the Naturalist phase. Crane’s unique lifestyle allowed him to record in his novels vivid themes of isolation, war and death, and one’s place in a community or society. Overall, Crane is remembered as using Naturalism in his work now accepted as an American classic, “The Red Badge of Courage.” By the time of his death, Crane has become an international celebrity of the literary world, and is now remembered as one of the greatest American authors leaving a strong legacy that will impact many future generations of readers to come.