Stephen Crane's The Open Boat

253 Words2 Pages
Stephen Crane was one of America’s most influential writers. Many wonder whether Stephen Crane was a naturalist or realist. Naturalism was a movement in American literature. Naturalism emphasized determinism and man’s fate that is beyond his free will; whereas realism was sought to be a faithful representation of life and nature, not nature itself as a force. Crane portrays his naturalist writing style through external forces and pessimistic tone. Stephen Crane wrote many short stories, but “The Open Boat” is a perfect piece of a naturalistic writing. In “The Open Boat”, the men are stranded on the boat in the ocean. The men are always struggling against some outside force of nature. Free will is not enough to help the men escape their