This term paper is concerned with two branches of realism reflected in Stephen Crane’s short story “The Blue Hotel”, published in 1899.
This short story deals with a short stay of three men at Scully’s Palace Hotel in Nebraska. One of them, called “the Swede” behaves strangely by being convinced that everyone is trying to kill him.
Throughout the story, Crane employs several elements of Realism, more preci-sely Regionalism and Naturalism. These two aspects of Realism are characterised by the features and the behaviour of the characters.
The aim of this term paper is to give an explanation of the major realistic elements in “The Blue Hotel” and to analyze in how far Crane manages to make use of them.
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. The central realistic elements
2.1. Regionalism
2.2. Naturalism
3. The central realistic elements in “The Blue Hotel”
3.1. Concerning the elements of Regionalism
3.2. Concerning the elements of Naturalism
4. Conclusion
5. Works cited
Objectives and Topics
This paper examines how Stephen Crane utilizes the literary frameworks of Regionalism and Naturalism in his 1899 short story "The Blue Hotel" to portray character development and thematic conflict within the American West setting.
- Analysis of Regionalist elements through character stereotypes and regional identity.
- Exploration of Naturalist themes, specifically Darwinian "survival of the fittest" and deterministic forces.
- Evaluation of the clash between Eastern and Western societal perceptions.
- Examination of the protagonist's "outsider" status and his tragic reliance on dime-novel tropes.
- Discussion of the indifference of nature as a key Naturalist component in the narrative.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1. Concerning the elements of Regionalism
The short story “The Blue Hotel” deals with five main characters. Throughout the story, three of them are called “the Swede”, “the cowboy” and “the Easterner”. These men are the guests in the Palace Hotel. In contrast to the hotel owner Scully and his son Johnnie whose first name the reader gets to know, these men are referred to as stereotypes.
Regarding the historical background, it is a typical feature of regionalism that an easterner and a cowboy stand in contrast to each other. The cowboy in this content stands for a man coming from the West. In the introduction the cowboy is described as “tall bronzed [...] on his way to a ranch” and the Easterner as “a little silent man” (Norton Anthology. 1796). This description fits into the general characterization of an easterner and a westerner at that time.
Throughout the story the both characters occur together. Their behaviour only differs in a few situations. First, when Johnnie and the Swede are fighting, the cowboy encourages Johnnie that he should kill the Swede and the Easterner pleads that the fight comes to an end (cf. Norton Anthology. 1807f.). The cowboy behaves like an inhabitant of the Wild Wild West and the Easterner does not want the fight at all. In this scene, the features of the literary East and the roughneck West are personified by the characters.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: This chapter provides an overview of Stephen Crane's "The Blue Hotel" and outlines the paper's aim to analyze the application of Regionalism and Naturalism within the story.
2. The central realistic elements: This section defines the theoretical foundations of Regionalism and Naturalism, focusing on their historical development and scientific roots.
3. The central realistic elements in “The Blue Hotel”: This chapter applies the previously defined theories to the specific characters and events within Crane's short story.
4. Conclusion: The concluding section summarizes how Crane skillfully employs irony and Western motifs to integrate realistic elements into the narrative.
5. Works cited: This chapter lists the primary and secondary literary sources utilized for the analysis.
Keywords
Stephen Crane, The Blue Hotel, Regionalism, Naturalism, Realism, Wild Wild West, Darwinism, Local Color, Literature, Character Analysis, Survival of the Fittest, Determinism, 19th Century Literature, American Fiction, Stereotypes
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the fundamental focus of this academic paper?
The paper focuses on analyzing Stephen Crane's 1899 short story "The Blue Hotel" through the lenses of two major branches of realism: Regionalism and Naturalism.
What are the primary thematic fields covered?
The central themes include the historical impact of the American Civil War, the cultural divide between the East and the West, evolutionary theory, and the impact of deterministic forces on human behavior.
What is the main research objective?
The objective is to explain the major realistic elements present in the story and to evaluate how effectively Crane utilizes these elements to drive his narrative.
Which scientific or literary methods are employed?
The author uses a text-analytical approach, applying historical context and literary definitions of Naturalism and Regionalism to interpret character motivations and actions.
What topics are discussed in the main body of the work?
The main body breaks down the theoretical definitions of realism and applies them to the behavior of the characters, such as the Swede, the Cowboy, and the Easterner, while addressing the setting of the Palace Hotel.
Which keywords define this analysis?
Key terms include Realism, Regionalism, Naturalism, the Swede, Wild Wild West, Darwinism, and literary stereotypes.
Why does the "Swede" act so strangely throughout the story?
The Swede suffers from a misapprehension of the American West, influenced by reading dime-novels, which leads him to believe he is in an environment where everyone intends to kill him.
How does the "Easterner" reflect the theme of moral ambiguity?
The Easterner serves as a contrast to the Cowboy and initially fails to tell the truth about Johnnie's cheating; his eventual confession later in the story reveals his inability to be trusted and underscores the tragic consequences of his silence.
In what way does the environment dictate the outcome of the story?
Following the Naturalist tradition, the characters are shown to be victims of deterministic forces where nature—and the indifferent society—does not intervene, ultimately leading to the Swede's inevitable tragedy.
- Quote paper
- Nathalie Fiore (Author), 2012, Stephen Crane's Short Story „The Blue Hotel“ as a Text of the Realistic Period, Munich, GRIN Verlag, https://www.hausarbeiten.de/document/318284
