During the Gilded Age of American history, the literary life was undergoing a rapid transform, creating different branches, represented by various social groups. Among these, naturalism stood out with a belief that humans are no more than highly evolved animals, nothing can relate humanity to supernatural powers. Therefore, people without the “divine protection” can easily be caught up in situations that are beyond their control. Although sometimes depressing, this new literary school, without any exaggerated romance, reveals some of the real issues faced by the progressive nation. Stephen Crane, a prominent American novelist, emerged as a pioneer of naturalism. The short, unstable yet productive life of Stephen Crane has been called the founder …show more content…
Jack Potter, who was the marshal of Yellow Sky, was arguably the symbol of a “overly self-conscious” man (Dona 2). He was so frustrated on the way home for he believed he had somehow violated the tradition of his town; yet no one actually cared that much about this. People are sometimes not really as important as themselves think, circumstances can always be different from what people expect, thus leading to the next point: what is worried about may not be the biggest threaten. Afraid of being blamed because of his marriage, Jack Potter later found his own life threatened by the drunk Wilson. Wilson’s early action represents the violent west, contradicted by the drummer from the east, representing the misunderstanding in culture between the two regions. Depicted as a “Western villain” (Dona 3), Wilson challenged his old rival―Jack Potter to a duel; at this point Jack found himself actually helpless, in a situation beyond his control, thus revealing the belief of the naturalists. In the end, Wilson surprisingly let Jack go, which really seems confusing to some readers. In fact, this can be easily explained if one views the wife’s presence as a symbol of domesticity, which is usually associated to peace, gentle. Disrupted by these features, Wilson’s violence from a “purely masculine world” was restrained; there was nothing he could do but let Jack go (Dona