Which quality does a naturalist writer show

Zola presents this tragic end to the lovers' lives as inevitable. Have a look at an analysis of this deterministic ending here. The glass is totally half empty, guys. If we're looking for happy endings, then we'd better be prepared for disappointment; we won't find many of those in Naturalist literature. What we will find is lots of unhappy endings, and lots of tragedy. The reason Naturalist fiction is so pessimistic is because, as we've mentioned, Naturalist writers are pretty deterministic.

They believe that we can't escape our circumstances. If we come from a background of poverty, for instance, we're unlikely to end up in a good place. If our mommy was an alcoholic, then we'll probably also end up as alcoholics. In other words: we readers better have our handkerchiefs and pints of ice cream handy. Things never turn out well in Naturalist fiction. Ethan Frome, the titular protagonist of Edith Wharton's novel, ends up as a "ruin of a man.

Not much hope or optimism there. Have a look at these quotations from the book. Bigger, the protagonist of Richard Wright's Native Son , doesn't have a happy ending in store. And his mother warns him about it in these quotations from the novel. This goes way beyond stereotypes like "If you're from New York you're bitter and wear black" or "If you're from Seattle you totally love coffee, hiking, and being pretentious.

The Naturalists were super interested in exploring social environments. That's because they believed that social environments largely determine our character, and even our destiny. If we're Donald Trump's kids, from a background with loads of money, chances are we're going to do pretty well in life.

On the other hand, if we're born in the slums, raised by parents who have very little money, chances are we're not going to do very well in life. The Naturalists were especially interested in exploring how social environments shape human beings, and how they influence the way they behave.

If your first thought is "Dang, that sounds de- pressing ," well, Shmooper, you're totally right on the money.

It is. Bigger and his family, the African American protagonists of Native Son , live in a racist world. Because of their social environment, they live in fear. Check out these quotations showing how racism makes Bigger's sister fearful. Is there any environment more extreme than war? Have a look at an analysis of this environment here. Nope: this is far more depressing than figuring out whether you have your dad's nose or your mom's ears.

Naturalist writers were very interested in what we inherit in terms of our human nature. Science is now telling us, for instance, that there are certain genes that may affect how happy or sad we are, and whether we have tendencies toward depression or addiction.

Way before scientists began making links between our genes and our personalities, Naturalist writers were interested in heredity and human nature. In their fiction they explored how certain personality traits and characteristics are passed on from one generation to the next. The protagonist of Edith Wharton's novel, Ethan Frome , just can't seem to escape his own passive nature.

And it spells big trouble for him. Delve into this analysis of Ethan Frome here. Check out this analysis of Laurent's temperament here.

This poverty goes way beyond having to eat beans and rice for a while in order to save up for new boots. A naturalist is a person who studies plants and animals in their natural surroundings. My dad's friend is a naturalist. The American Naturalist was created in Log in. Celebrity Births Deaths and Ages. Study now. See Answer. Best Answer. A distance from the subject-APEX. Study guides. J's study guide 1 card. What is the name of Steve on minecraft's name. Celebrity Births Deaths and Ages 20 cards.

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The characters are always hopeless because they are not agents of free will, as the realists believed, but they are puppets to the ocean and the winds and their dingy. These puppeteers of the characters are the external forces that the characters must combat but will ultimately lose to no matter what.

The men are often wondering why fate has brought them so far only to drown them, but what they fail to realize is that fate had nothing to do with it. Fate was not toying with them nor was fate intending to drown them. In fact, fate had nothing to do with it at all because the acts that happened upon these men were random and were uncontrollable by them.

This is the essence of naturalism — a lack of control. While fate is not controlling the characters, it is most certainly nature. The ocean, the currents, the winds, the temperature of the sea, the sun rising and setting; these are all factors of nature that play a role in how the men are affected while drifting in their dingy. But these factors are also entirely indifferent.

They are random. Nature has no preference of these men. If it did, why would it kill the strongest swimmer in the oiler? Nature is an entity that acts as itself and those who act within it are subject to its randomness and power.