How The Great Depression perpetuated Naturalism:
Naturalism was unquestionably perpetuated by the devastating events of the Great Depression. The literary movement arguably reached its influential peak at the time of this economic crisis as themes in these works were further emphasized and seemed truly realistic. For example, determinism states that every event, including human action, is solely governed by causes external to free will. No matter how hard people try to overcome their obstacles, they are doomed to fail due to a predetermined fate. In other words, man is at the mercy of the indifferent environment. Naturalistic authors bought into this concept when writing their detailed stories because of the improbable stock market crash that left them in disbelief and despair. Determinism was a way to philosophically explain the unimaginable circumstances of the universe.
Pessimism also became prevalent in the Great Depression which translated to naturalistic works. Quite obviously, people lost hope in life and the world as they realized that the forces of nature were beyond human control. This pessimism explains the dark themes of naturalism and how the stories mostly ended in tragedy after many attempts at success. For example in John Steinbeck's novels The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, farmers are depicted seeking to rebuild their lives after the Great Depression, but just can never quite reach a happy ending. The characters somehow end up in a worse situation than when they started their journey and learn that they are simply not made for this cruel world. Pessimism was often demonstrated by showing how the American Dream had died which was a popular belief during the Great Depression. Novels did not sugarcoat this fact and rather embraced it. Writers often depicted how the American Dream made an individual feel hopeful, only to bring these individuals back to reality to show them how the world is unconcerned with human struggle.
Another theme that was accentuated was Darwin’s principles of survival of the fittest and natural selection. During the Great Depression, only those who were mentally and economically strong survived in this time of great adversity. Those who adapted well lived on to pass their advantageous genes while the ones who couldn't would die off. Authors used Darwinism to show how humans are no different from animals and that only the fittest can survive in their given environment. For example, Naturalism used socially symbolic characters to unapologetically illustrate societal issues and the fragility of the weak.
Pessimism also became prevalent in the Great Depression which translated to naturalistic works. Quite obviously, people lost hope in life and the world as they realized that the forces of nature were beyond human control. This pessimism explains the dark themes of naturalism and how the stories mostly ended in tragedy after many attempts at success. For example in John Steinbeck's novels The Grapes of Wrath and Of Mice and Men, farmers are depicted seeking to rebuild their lives after the Great Depression, but just can never quite reach a happy ending. The characters somehow end up in a worse situation than when they started their journey and learn that they are simply not made for this cruel world. Pessimism was often demonstrated by showing how the American Dream had died which was a popular belief during the Great Depression. Novels did not sugarcoat this fact and rather embraced it. Writers often depicted how the American Dream made an individual feel hopeful, only to bring these individuals back to reality to show them how the world is unconcerned with human struggle.
Another theme that was accentuated was Darwin’s principles of survival of the fittest and natural selection. During the Great Depression, only those who were mentally and economically strong survived in this time of great adversity. Those who adapted well lived on to pass their advantageous genes while the ones who couldn't would die off. Authors used Darwinism to show how humans are no different from animals and that only the fittest can survive in their given environment. For example, Naturalism used socially symbolic characters to unapologetically illustrate societal issues and the fragility of the weak.
"It is not the strongest of the species that survives, nor the most intelligent but the one most responsive to change." - Charles Darwin