Naturalism

I have noticed naturalism in both of the stories we have read and done seminars on. I noticed it most in the story about the dog and the man facing the tough challenges of life in a temperature below -50 degrees.  In this story by Jack London, the man and the dog face tough times. The dog always seem s to know exactly what to do in every situation but the man ( who by the way doesn’t even have a name) thinks he is more capable to do anything better than the dog. It basically says that we humans think we are superior to animals and other creatures.  It’s a very naturalist idea that dogs and other creatures don’t need humans and that nature does not care about the human.  At the end of the short story the human considers killing the dog for warmth and food but the dog has a good instinct and isn’t stupid and runs away. Now, the human is left alone to struggle.

Naturalism is also shown in April Showers by Edith Wharton shows naturalism when Theodora goes to the woods beyond the school house and it almost seems like everything is promising for her. But then soon after, the paper is published and the story is not hers. She was so sure her story would get published like Kathleen Kyd’s did on her first try. Theodora got boastful and conceited and then she got a slap in the face. Again, this naturalist belief that “Nature does not care and we are no greater” appears in the short story.