Naturalism in books?

Let me translate for you...

Naturalism exists in "The Open Boat" because nature is defined as a powerful, yet uncaring force. Nature can be random, does not discriminate, and we have no control over it--hence the death of the oiler, seemingly the strongest of the men in the boat.

The men in the boat are given a very limited perspective, thus less power in the story. Crane writes something like "They could barely determine the color of the sky" to send this message that, despite our technological advancement, we are still limited in the grand scheme of things.

Naturalism is a form of realism in that it examines the nitty-gritty truth about human experience. It does not glorify or embellish the role nature has in our lives. It simply reminds us how small and powerless we are in the face of nature.

I never read "Maggie..." so I can't help you with that one.

The Open Boat" is the best example in Crane's work of his ability to transumute actual experience into universal significance without losing accuracy or verisimilitude. In order to dramatize the spiritual awakening of his main character, the correspondent, Crane imposes a fictional design of the literal events of the shipwreck. The design is a mental journey as well as a physical one during which the correspondent changes from observer into participant into interpreter. As a writer of naturalistic fiction, Crane is concerned with the effect of events upon character and the psychological consequences of those events. Readers should alert to the growth of the main character by thinking about the following questions: To what extent does the observer who begins the story differ from the interpreter who ends it? How does his view of himself and his place the world widen, deepen, or change? how is his spiritual awakening accomplished and of what does it consist?

The Open Boat Naturalism